Twisted and Turned II: Future Undone
by ElfChef
Summary: IN TWISTED AND TURNED, ERIC AND SOOKIE GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO BE TOGETHER. IN THIS SEQUEL THEIR PASTS SURFACES AND THREATENS THEIR FUTURE. HE IS NO LONGER A SHERIFF IN A POWERFUL MONARCHY. SHE IS A BANISHED PRINCESS; LOVE IS ALL THEY HAVE, BUT IS IT ENOUGH?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know this site is still a place where a story could be deleted if trolls snort loud enough to FF admin. I want to post on WP but I have a hard time uploading my stories neatly. Is there anyone out there that's a wiz that wouldn't mind holding my hand through it? If so PM me please. Thanks!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 <strong>

Football is an American pastime. Tonight was the monthly vampire match. It was full contact with no gear. I watched as the voting commenced. Admittedly this was one of the more annoying facets of a vampire Republic, at least to Eric; to me it was often hilarious. Then again I didn't have to spend at least an hour of my day voting on arbitrary matters.

I understood Eric's irritation. There was a vote about everything, and when I say everything, I mean Every. Single. Thing. All the way from New Orleans to Little Rock and every tiny town in between they voted. Even to choose team captains there was a vote, though every single person had voted the same since the league started a year ago.

The guideline stated that if any action affected anyone other than the individual, it was put to a vote. If they weren't sure then there was a vote to help decide if there should be a vote. Just because this was new to them meant nothing. They took that shit seriously and if you didn't vote, you had better not even fix your mouth to complain about the result.

The routine things were done through a message board. Any vampire citizen of the Republic could post an issue and/or plead their case. Then the voting took place. The ballots were counted and that was it. Other more serious matters had to be done in person, such as deciding on new residents.

In those instances, the prospective citizen would have to decide where in the Republic he or she wanted to reside. Then the vampires in that Area would have to vote to deny or allow citizenship. If they agreed, they would then inform everyone else via 'The Board.' Lastly, every other Area would send out a previously-elected representative to ensure the new citizen understood the rules and wouldn't be a problem. Then there was some kind of party. Hooray for the Republic!

As a general rule, vampires were territorial creatures and nothing could change that. Since they were actually working together instead of looking to out-maneuver each other to grasp power, there had been decreases in vampire on vampire violence. This system was working. Here in Shreveport, Indira was turning out to be quite the vampire representative. It was strange for all involved because in the previous regime she hadn't been regarded as much because she was weak physically. In this world, there was something about her quiet nature that made people listen to her.

All of this wasn't what I had in mind when I given up my title as Queen and bought the freedom of this state from all the other regents of Amun. I will admit that I had been thinking small scale and short term. Then I had only Eric and me in mind. I turned my back on the ambition that had driven my whole life. I had been stripped of my title but I got to return to the place where I found love. Overall, it was a small price to pay. At that thought, my mind drifted…

_I didn't know if I would have been considered a genius if I was fully human. What if my mother had never run away from the man she had married, the man whose last name she had given me, even though he wasn't my father? Would I still have blonde hair and blue eyes? Would I still be able to see twenty steps ahead? Would I be a telepath? I didn't know. I tried to wonder about that as little as possible. _

_This was the truth of my origins. My mother was Michelle McCormick. At the tender age of eighteen she had married a young man by the name of Corbett Stackhouse. She left him after less than a year but she kept his name. She had made it as far as New Orleans when she ran out of money. _

_The details varied but I knew that was where she met Saul, the eccentric vampire known as The Procurer. He was a vampire who dealt strictly in supply and demand. He was on every monarch's speed dial, especially that of my father. Being the King of Sin City, merchandise was always in his demand, be it for something extraordinary at the casinos or working girls. _

_Saul must have seen the beauty in my mother and nurtured it. After a few years, he sold her to a king, my father, Felipe De Castro. Neither one of them knew she was pregnant. Neither of them ever knew that she had sold her baby to a faery for a price. What was that price? What would make a woman whore out not only her body but her firstborn, you ask? _

_If the answer isn't obvious or immediate then be proud of yourself because you are neither vain nor selfish enough. My mother had rented out her womb and part of her body so she could remain desirable for eternity. Seeing she was a prostitute I shouldn't blame her but I did, greatly._ _Not to mention that the information I gained had come from a faery under extreme duress. It hadn't been a lie. _

_My biological mother had entered a bargain with a faery and reneged. Twenty seven years later, here I was. I couldn't complain but some nights it just weighed heavily on me. Luckily tonight wasn't one of those nights. My heart and mind were miles behind my body. _

Just as suddenly I drifted I was back where I belonged. I smiled as Eric and his team walked toward the bleachers. I felt like the cheerleader girlfriend of the high school football star rather than the wife of one of the most powerful vampires in the new world. He was a natural at football, but then again given the aggressive nature of the sport, most vampires were.

"You guys should get jerseys," I said after Eric kissed me breathless.

He smiled against the crook of my neck and his fingers dug into my hips, pulling me tightly against him.

"I suppose that would make you a cheerleader; my personal cheerleader," he murmured nipping at my earlobe. I shivered and my knees got weak.

I pulled back shocked, but equally turned on. "Who has been teaching you such naughty terminology?" I asked.

"That who would be me," I knew the voice, Clancy.

No sooner did I have the thought when I saw the young, very young, girl he had taken up with. She was running full tilt in his direction. She threw herself into his arm and she all but sucked the tongue out of his mouth.

At this point no one bothered whooping at the display. It only made them take longer to 'greet' each other. People such as her parents who had once protested no longer bothered either. It had the same result. Those two just enjoyed making the whole damn world sick with how much in love and mated they were.

"We weren't that bad?" I asked Eric.

He shook his head. "Considering all the hell we raised, some could argue that we were much worse."

I smiled and leaned into his embrace. We watched the newly mated couple. By the way Eric held me; I knew our thoughts were in sync. Had this been two years ago, Clancy would have had to hide Stephanie. Just as Eric had done with me, I guess he would have tried to walk away too. It would have been for her good. As a valued telepath among them, I had barely made it.

In the old vampire regime, she would have been nothing but a weakness to exploit. With the way he looked at her, I knew he could have been made to do things, horrible things, if her life was on the line. It wouldn't have come naturally but it would have been his only choice. It was all he had known then. Now, there was a different way. He could just love her without fear or consequence.

Thalia's team was getting impatient by the glares they were sending our way.

"Cheerleaders are the bee's knees." Clancy said when he finally let her go. "Where the fuck has she been all my lives?"

"Here waiting for her grandparents to be born would be my guess," I pointed out.

He snorted a laugh and shot a pointed look at Eric. "Nice to meet you, Pot; I'm kettle."

I guess I'd walked right into that one. Eric was a thousand-years-old; he was older than Clancy, me, Stephanie and her parents combined. The men moved away toward the converging vamps. I didn't think anyone on this side could hear the plays called for inside the huddles but I could. It was part of being a human-Fae-vampire hybrid; my senses were heightened, acute beyond that of any human and most vampires. I watched the play as my fangs tingled in my mouth.

I wanted to run too. I wanted to tumble, tackle without fear, because I knew I would get back up again. What was worse was I knew I could. On foot I could move faster than all the vampires on the field, including my husband. I held back and watched. No one knew of my hybrid origins but Eric and Pam. None of them knew that I had been instrumental in the fall of their former Queen. No one knew I had been the Queen of Louisiana and Arkansas for all of one hour. I was Sookie Stackhouse, barmaid and wife to Eric Northman, not the telepathic human of the Sheriff. That was fine by me.

Stephanie and I weren't the only spectators of the monthly vampire football games. Her parents were there. Even the current coach of the crescent city's professional team frequented. He was trying to find secrets because this year his team was horrible. It was a great game. Tonight Eric's team won. I knew that next month when Pam was captain and Eric had to be at the bar, Thalia's team would win. It was mostly due to the fact that Long Shadow cheated as if his immortal life depended on it, the bastard.

Eric and I were the only ones left at the field. He was nursing a sprained knee. He had gotten it defending Paloma during the last play of the game. He wasn't the only one who had walked away limping. Vampires didn't play football with protective gear. They went all out and they were hostile. .

Eric had taken a few hits for his teammates. Some were more damaging than others. Everyone was gone so I didn't have to hide. I lifted him from the bleachers, laid him down on the field, and lay next to him. His black eye was gone. His ribs were fine now but his ankle had yet to heal. I knew it was because of the G2-Ag serum. That was one of its drawbacks in the beginning stages of use.

I rolled on top on my husband. "I'm almost sure this should come with a penalty."

"It does." He replied rubbing the proof of his desire against me.

I kissed him gently, and then I proceeded to have my wicked way with him right there on the field. I knew we had to part ways soon but it didn't impede on the pace. We sucked, licked, and stroked to our hearts contents. It wasn't until we were both mad with the want for release that I straddled his hips and impaled myself on his long, thick cock.

It still blew my mind that every time I took him into my body; it felt even better than the first. There was no pain. Letting him take me came with no fear or insecurities. I knew he loved me and I knew we had forever. All I could do was hang on as he rode my body like Hell, took me to Heaven, and then brought me back to Earth. For a few minutes after, all I could do was lay my panting and ravaged body on top of his.

"You need to go," I said, not moving.

I felt his lips form a smile against the crook of my neck. "Not if you don't let me. I am at your mercy."

I nipped at him and rolled away. He needed to get to the bar and I had to get to bed. I had been awake since dawn. I'd woken to Eric halfway into my pants. I let him even though I knew I had to open for Sam. It was one of the upsides to freeing him from the sun. We had time that was just for us.

"Go," I said. "I don't need Pam showing up wondering if I'm abusing your sexy young body."

He laughed as he dressed. I made no move to get up. I just enjoyed the view. God, Eric really was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen. He was perfect, from his crown of blonde hair to his toes. If I didn't have enough to gush about, once he was dressed he flew over to me and hovered over my body to kiss me goodbye. Eric took off into the air toward the vampire bar he owned in Shreveport.

Using my senses I followed him a long way. When Eric fell out of my heightened awareness, the longing that only his face could quash descended over me. It wasn't crippling. I just missed him. I knew he would be home before the sun. My eyes were glued to the crescent moon that hung over head. It made me think of Sam. It was one of the safest days of the months to chat it up with my Werewolf and shifter friends. They had more control.

For a human-Fae-vampire hybrid who was also a disowned and banished princess, it was just another day spent trying not to think of her family. I couldn't let myself go there; instead I got up and dusted off my dress. I got behind the wheel of the BMW Eric bought me and drove to our home in Shreveport. I was asleep before thought of home I would never see again had the chance to make me cry myself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I still worked what had been just a cover job. Oddly enough I enjoyed it as much as I did when my memory was gone; some days were good, other days weren't so good. Merlotte's hadn't gotten any fancier but it was still the go-to watering hole in the small town of Bon Temps. In a pinch many people got married there. If they could afford the local manor of the Bellefleur's, then they went there for the ceremony, but they still hired Merlotte's as the caterer.

That was the case today. Portia Bellefleur was getting married. She and all her family, with the exception of Terry, still hated me, but I didn't mind. I knew why and I knew that I deserved it, more than they could ever know. For the most part they left me alone and I returned the favor. Today there was no avoiding. Seeing that Portia had gone from attorney to sitting at the local Chamber of Commerce in Monroe, it was pretty much a holiday.

There were Eagle Scouts marching in full uniform, the couple rode in on a horse-drawn float, and the main road was closed while they went from the church to the estate. I had no idea how they got four horses in one horse town, I also knew better than to ask. I watched with a smile because it really was beautiful. When the guests got thirsty I served their drinks.

I'd come a long way. Over two years ago a faery named Claudine had pulled the mother of identity thefts. It left me with no memory of whom or what I was. It would have been an understatement to say that life was hard. I had come full circle though. Back then, I'd served my first drink in Merlotte's having no idea who I was. Now I was performing the same service knowing full well that I chose to be there. I was getting famous for my drink mixes. I had to say that I felt pretty smug about it. I smiled and made small talk as I served drinks.

My shields were in place so I didn't hear him in that sense but his scent gave him away. There was a faery here. I didn't look up. I wiped down the portable bar counter. I might be part Fae but they weren't my kin. I had proven that a while ago. For one of them to be in this particular place at this exact time was no coincidence.

I felt him coming nearer and nearer. I entered the mind of the men around him. The women were already letting their fantasies color him. If I went with Maxine Fortenberry then the Faery looked like Humphrey Bogart. To Kenya he resembled a white Denzel Washington. He wasn't intentionally messing with their views. His blend of dark and white delight just wasn't what most folks in these parts were accustomed to.

The men were the safest bet. They saw him as a threat. He was tall but not overly so; I guess around just six feet. He had hair that was so blonde it was white, even in the dim lighting. His eyes were like coal. This faery was young. I don't know how I knew it, I just did. His scent wasn't masked; in fact, it was so strong that I felt as if he was intentionally assaulting me with it.

My last encounter with the Fae had been violent and ended in bloodshed, theirs, not mine. I had control over my fangs. Yet, the presence of a lone faery was making my stomach cramp and my mouth dry as if I hadn't had a blood in weeks.

"_When a beast attacks," My father had once told me. "Most likely you will only have seconds to decide if guarding against its fang or its claws would save you."_

_"The teeth," I said, snapping mine to illustrate. "More dangerous."_

_"But its claws are wrapped tightly around your neck," he'd said, tickling my neck. I was incredibly ticklish. Immediately, I fell out laughing hysterically and batting wildly in an attempt to break free._

_"You have to do something," he said with no relenting of his tickle assault. "If the claws have you then surely the teeth are not far behind."_

_He bared his fangs. "I'll run," I said. "I'm fast."_

_"Can't run or hide, you must act," He'd told me._

_"That leaves nothing," I said._

_I saw the approval in his eyes. So I let my body go still even though some of his fingers were still ticking my neck and his pinky was in close proximity of my mouth. I didn't bite. I just held steady as he loomed over me. He smiled at me proudly._

_"Never give into blind panic or raw instinct," He said. "When all proper actions are unavailable, do nothing."_

That lesson that I'd learned close to twenty years ago served me still. I gulped half a bottle of water and kept calm. I went on about my duties, though with less joy, but I did it enough to keep my tips coming. It confused him. The mysterious faery must have been expecting me to lose my mind and go after him. Where I an actual vampire I would done just that. Such as it was I ignored him.

He hung awkwardly on the side of the dance floor. It answered the question of his scent. It had been so long since I had to worry about outthinking or outmaneuvering that it took me a few beats to get my mind in order. This was the situation; I was the objective and the faery before me was the instrument. Odds were that on the other side of the equation, something bigger and badder was waiting.

The faery approached me a few minutes later. I was still playing dumb, so I smiled and gave him the same lines I'd been spitting all evening.

"Whatcha drinking?" I asked.

"Water," he said.

His mind opened as he stared at me. It was involuntary. He was staring and analyzing too deeply which made the normal static field of his mind readable. Again, I pretended not to notice. He was looking for me. He hated me…a lot! The image of me he had in his mind blurred as his doubt and hate clouded it. I didn't know why. I did know his name was Preston and he was a Sky Faery.

"You with the bride or groom?" I asked, trying to distract him. I didn't want him to make the connection so deep that it became obvious to him that I was in his head. I needed to know who sent him. The worst case scenario was that it was the Sky Prince.

"I am the guest of a guest," He replied vaguely.

Even if the slight British accent hadn't given him away, his manner of speech had. The only people who spoke in this way were those who were from older, more formal times. The only reason I recognized it was because I was raised around it.

"Oh," I said, with a shrug. "You look like one of Portia's law school buddies."

Having the blessing or curse not to tell direct lies, faeries had the ability to spot a lie immediately. Nothing I had said had been a lie. He was dressed in a designer suit just as most of the out-of-towners were whom Portia had invited. He stood apart just as they did, except he was garnering much more attention than all of them combined.

He shook his head and, without as much as a parting glance, he left. I knew I'd fooled him. I didn't let myself get too excited over it. He was just the arm of The Beast. I didn't tell Eric when I got home that night. There were a few reasons why. The main one was that he would want to go faery hunting immediately. We didn't need that.

My husband was a former sheriff to a powerful monarch. It went without saying that Eric could be as objective and stealthy as any other seasoned vampire. Be that as it may, he was a male and he was a dominate male. He also had an extremely highhanded attitude and for him, there was no known cure. Knowing that I could give him a run for his money in a fight, Eric still hated it when I was out at night. He didn't like when men looked at me while I walked in the mall. He didn't even like that I had a job.

The other reason I kept it from him was that I was a genius. I'd been starved for this kind of challenge. I knew I should be ashamed but I couldn't help it. Thinking fifteen moves ahead was stimulating. It told me the risk was minimal. Being on the serum meant that Eric safe. Anyone that found where he rested for the day would be in for a very nasty surprise. He wouldn't be dead and helpless. He would be pissed off.

The thought had sounded reasonable in my head but when he walked through the doors hours later, I told him. It was a heady thing to know that someone loved you more than they loved themselves or anything else in the world. It wasn't just his love; it was his blind faith in me and his trust. Knowing that I didn't deserve it filled me with insurmountable joy.

"I was going to ask how your day was," he said dryly.

Keeping secrets was in my nature. I was raised to vault my mind and lips. With Eric I wanted nothing between us. I looked up to find him smiling. Guilt rose. I looked down and fiddled with the hem of my shirt…well, it was his shirt but I stole it to sleep in.

"I wasn't going to tell you," I admitted.

"Yet you did."

Three words were all he said but they were loaded. The troubling part was that I knew they weren't directed at me.

"I need to tell you something," he said.

I nodded and pulled myself into a sitting position. He left the room and went into his home office. When he returned he presented me with a thick manila folder. I wasn't sure where I thought this was going, but this wasn't it. The top sheet was a succinct breakdown of his financial situation from his accountant. It was bleak and shocking. Eric had lost close to six million in a few months. What I was reading must have shown on my face because that was when Eric began speaking. He sounded…almost embarrassed.

"It isn't that bad," he said. "The personal accounts are good. We wouldn't go without. I just wouldn't be able to give you anything you wanted."

If I didn't know him, I wouldn't have known how much it wounded him to push that last sentence through his lips. I did know him, so I knew that not being able to do just that was killing him…so to speak.

"You think I'm going to wake up tomorrow and want a yacht?" I asked walking over to him.

I meant for him to smile but he didn't. His lips were mashed into a hard line and he looked more bereft than I'd seen in a long time, so much so that I placed my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around him.

"Hey," I said. "Come on, Eric, you know I don't care. You…"

"I do, but it isn't about that. As a man, as your husband, I am supposed to be able to afford whatever you wish. I backed this state when it was in need…"

I flinched as if he'd struck me but he didn't notice. I used the same maneuver to pull out of his embrace. This was my fault. Everything bad that had happened to Eric in the past two years could be traced back to me. I knew he didn't blame me and most days the guilt was nonexistent, but right now, it was threatening to bury me alive.

The first step in usurping the throne of his former Queen had been financial sabotage. In combination with her gambling problem the state had been in desperate need, desperate enough for her to marry the pawn we pushed her way. That was how Eric had lost his savings. He had been protecting me by protecting the old monarch. In the end it had all been for nothing.

"I could start working…"

"No," his tone held so much opposition that my eyes were narrowing in defiance. "You are finished working as a telepath for anyone, anywhere, ever."

His eyes were on me, daring me to argue. I didn't. "That wasn't what I meant. Aside from being a telepath I have expert knowledge on several sciences from aerodynamics to genetics."

The tense set to his shoulders relaxed but he wasn't done fighting. "You don't have to. There is no need."

"This is my fault," I told him.

I hated myself as pain twisted his features. Unable to help myself, I reached my hands up and cupped his face. His mouth opened but I placed my fingers inside of it. I knew what he was going to say. I was craving it, but I didn't let him reassure me. I needed to try to undo some of the harm I'd done to his life.

"Yes, yes, I know," I said. "Had the tables been turned, Sophie-Anne would have done scores worse with no remorse. I know you don't doubt I would have told you if my memories had been intact. Sweetheart, I know all that."

He took my fingers from his lips and held them tight in his hands. "You know it but you don't believe it. I fear that you never will. I was wrong not to tell you but this is why." He pointed at the papers that I had left forgotten on the bed. "You would feel guilt no matter how needless and useless. The truth is I care nothing about the money because I know that you don't. That you are happy with me…"

"Just tell me you're happy too?" I asked.

I got that smile. It was nothing more than a slight tilt of his sinful lips. His eyes lit and my heart melted. Then he shrugged, and looked too perfectly disheartened. It took everything I had not to smile. He was totally trying to hustle! I knew it but I didn't care. Everything Eric wanted from me I was more than happy to give him.

"Well, you are not naked," he said with deceptive sadness. "That is always…how do you put it, a bummer? Yes. It is a bummer. I am bummed."

I pulled his shirt over my head and watched as his playfulness gave way to heat that infused my body with more lust than I thought I could handle. Fire was in my blood and it was flooding my sex with liquid desire.

"Still bummed, Baby?" I asked.

"Not on your immortal life, woman! Get your ass over here!" He exclaimed, and then he pounced on me.

We rolled onto the floor. He kicked his off pants but it took collective effort for us to rip off his shirt. He turned me over on my stomach. My body was at a fever pitch. All I wanted was to have him closer, to take me higher. I was in a haze of anticipation and it was maddening until I felt the tip of his cock at my lower lips. He didn't make me wait. He was sheathed in my dripping wet warmth before I could even beg. The feel of his body stretching mine, his groans and growls all made me crazy.

I saw more than love in his eyes. I felt love in his eyes, felt it in his every touch, and it only made me burn hotter with every thrust of his body against mine. No matter how many times he made me cum, I was right back to begging and aching. I wanted all of him. His body made its demands and I gave him everything until both of us were shaking and dizzy with the strength of too many orgasms.

"I love you," Eric murmured.

His words were slurred. It was well past dawn, and he was on the tail end of his current dosage of the G2-Ag serum. We were trying to stretch it. He only had one more left. Then he would have to return to suffering the curse of his origins or I would have to find a way to get him more. When I ran away from home, I'd taken the emergency supply that was in the lab. It should have lasted six years. He'd only had a third of that because Eric had split it evenly with Pam and Thalia.

I couldn't make more; I had no lab and no funds to buy the ingredients. It was like having all the ingredients for chocolate cake, but no pans or an oven in which to bake them. Decades ago I wrote the formula and my vampire family had walked in the sun. To them silver was just another element. I left making sure they still had some. I'd left thinking I would have the money to make more but then this state's independence had cost almost everything I had. I'd lost the rest when I was disowned.

The answer to our financial problems and the one surrounding the shortage of the serum was the same. I lay next to Eric as dawn turned to day. I was thinking of how I was going to get a high-paying research job in a high-grade facility. I had no college degree or high school diploma. Still though, how hard could it be? I was a genius.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I had to admit that I was a little excited when I sat down to find prospects the following day. I began by writing a list all of my accomplishments. I wrote down the secret ones such as the serum and blood varieties. There were a few things I'd done for the government when I was a child. I'd been instructed to forget about not only what I had done but how and who for.

"No big deal." I said aloud.

An hour later I was sighing in defeat as I erased the last remaining thing of importance from my list. More than half of my creations had been sold in full for profit, so I had lost any rights. The rest were super-secret or had been accredited medical research journal articles published under Doctor Wexler's name. Anything that didn't fall under those categories was illegal; the ultraviolet grenades, solar transponders, sonic reactors, and a genetic adapter to name a few.

I ripped up the paper, giving up on that avenue. I might have been given independence when growing up but I never cared to take it. Doctor Wexler worked closely with me in the lab at home. I wrote down what I needed and it appeared. Between Genie's job at the teaching hospital and my father's money and connections, I never went without something I needed to complete my work. Actually, I didn't even know where half that stuff had come from.

"My God!"

I was truly sad. I didn't have my inventions to back me and I had certifications. What was I supposed to do? In the end I went with bold- faced lies. I created several impeccable résumés that matched open positions in the companies I chose. They were beyond impressive! By the time I was finished applying to all the jobs I'd almost had myself believing that I had attended the prestigious Deerfield Academy since elementary school, and that I'd graduated from Harvard, and then Yale.

My current position was genetic researcher, at Aberdeen Pharmaceuticals. That last part was probably the only truth to be found there. Once upon a time, I had owned it. It was just a small portion of a larger medical conglomerate. Since I'd been banished, I had no idea what had become of it…but I hoped…

This would at least get me an interview. From there all I had to do was manipulate the person interviewing me, and then whoever ran the background checks. If I'd had FIN he could've just hijacked the systems of the schools and establishments in question, and then I would be in. I knew using either method was morally reprehensible. I could perform whatever task they threw my way with my hands tied behind my back, so my conscience was appeased.

The first call back I received was from the University Of Florida. I had to turn it down. They hadn't been willing to allow me to split residency. I might be able to relocate if I wanted, which I didn't and Eric couldn't. He was a vampire; a renowned and powerful one to boot. The vampires in that state would not welcome him.

The situation I encountered in Florida was the same story for the next four. We never even got to the interview phase. My hope was dwindling with every phone call and email negotiation that went nowhere. Eric was trying to hide that he was happy but he was failing miserably.

"I am sorry that you are unhappy," He said two weeks later.

"You're not sorry that I can't get the job I want."

I gave him an expression that told him to tread softly. It would have stilled lesser men but not him. Knowing it would piss me off never kept Eric from telling me the truth.

"I always want you to have what you want," He said. "But the thought of you leaving home for half the month, in another state, for work is unappealing. As a male my age, the thought of my wife working outside the home doesn't appeal to me in general."

Archaic didn't seem like a strong enough word for that. "Yes, because I'm sure back in the Stone Age when you were human, I would be barefoot and pregnant."

He narrowed his eyes at me menacingly. "So?"

"So, a male your age should be able to see beyond such outdated views. Having a child isn't possible for us so that doesn't even apply."

Shrugs. "We could adopt. You were adopted. A child would be good for us."

I pulled in a mouth full of air. Eric had ways of looking at things that could take the most complicated part and make it look so simple. It drove me nuts. I was really trying not to fight with him but I couldn't hide the bite to my words.

"We need money for that!" I asserted. Oh shit, when did that even become a subject? Just by the fucking way…

"People have children on less."

"Okay then. The serum for starters!" I exploded.

That was it. I'd lost the argument and any hope of getting him to listen to anything I had to say. He wouldn't engage me if I started yelling. We had done too much of that in the beginning of our relationship. He would leave and I didn't want that.

This method was effective in keeping us from fighting but sometimes it pissed me the hell off when all I wanted to do was yell! I wanted to yell and fight, and then have him agree. I knew it was wrong to want to engage in such a useless war of words, but it would distract me from feeling as if I was the failure that I was starting to see. What made it worse was the fact that it wasn't a familiar emotion. I never failed at anything, ever.

"Making a single dose costs fifteen thousand dollars." I said. My calm was strained because nothing and no one could get to me like Eric.

"The serum isn't important to me. I don't need it," He said.

"That is such bullshit!" I shouted. "Of course you do. It…"

"It was a gift," He said as he laced his boots. "It showed me the sun and the clear blue skies of day after a thousand years of night. It was more than enough to get me through the rest of forever."

He grabbed his keys and walked out the door. I was left staring after him feeling like not only a shitty person but a bitchy wife. I hated when Eric and I fought. It was worse when I was 100 % wrong, and right now I was. Eric might want to provide me with the world if I desired, but I wanted to bend the world to his will, if only to make him smile. I could deal with the guilt if I could do something. I just felt as though I had to do something. I had to provide him with the serum. I had to give him back all I'd taken. I had to.

Eric had told me something that he didn't want to and I had reacted exactly like he'd feared, maybe worse. If I was him I wouldn't have told me about the financial situation. It was more than the fact that he knew I would feel guilty. If not for my stupid faery confession, he may never have said anything. Stupid faeries! Faeries always have to ruin everything! Okay, it had nothing to do with faeries, but they were a convenient scapegoat for my fault in the fight I'd just had with my husband.

It was another slow Wednesday night at Merlotte's but at least it didn't drag by. Arlene had been late and Jessica had called out because her son was sick. For an hour I was handling three section on my own. It wasn't enough to get my mind off Eric and the fight we had. I hated fighting with him. It seemed to through my whole world off its axis. Eric held me tethered to this world not gravity. He kept me centered. Though it was closer, staying in the farmhouse didn't even cross my mind after my shift. Bon Temps didn't feel like home. There was no witchy best friend masquerading as a cat. No, there was nothing on that stretch of farm land for me. When I got home I was looking forward to seeing Eric. He wasn't in the upstairs bedroom. It was then that I remembered that he was mad at me. Worse yet, I deserved his ire. To make matters worse I'd come in after sunrise smelling of shifter and booze. I was just trying to get buried under the dog house it seemed.

I showered quickly and dressed in satin slip. Sex might get me in his good graces but it wouldn't get me off his shit list. To be honest that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to tell him I was being a bitch. I wanted to tell that I was sorry. If he fucked my brains out then it would be the cherry on top.

We were mated in the vampire way. He might feel it more deeply than I but it didn't change anything. He was my other half. I'd lived without him before and I can say that death might have been easier or less painful. This was the first time we'd fought in years.

I found my way into the day chamber in the corner basement of the house. I crawled into the soft bed that took up half the room. So far, Eric had shown no signs of being awake but I knew he was. He wouldn't fall asleep without me in the house. I rested my face in the middle of his sculpted shoulder blades. I placed a light kiss on his bare skin.

"Are you awake?" I asked.

He lost the tense set to his shoulders as he replied, "No."

I bit back a smile as joy coursed through me, at least he was talking to me. There was nothing as the silent treatment from a vampire. I wasn't that deep in the dog house.

"I'm sorry," I said, burrowing closer to him. "I was being a bitch."

He didn't speak but he did turn to face me, wrapping his arms around me. "Yes, you were." He agreed with a smile.

I kissed his chin, then the corner of his lips, and finally my mouth covered his. I knew I was forgiven. We didn't say anything though. We just held each other. I'd lost my job but in his arms that meant nothing. In fact, nothing mattered when I was here, nothing at all.

"I think you are under stimulated," He said.

I rolled on top of him with a coy smile. "Are you offering to help?"

A smile was pulling at the corners of his lips, though he was still fighting it. I couldn't help but lean in for a kiss. He was my addiction; just that small taste and I was aching for more. My fingers trailed the side of his neck and down his chest, sending chills through him.

"Sookie, wait," he groaned.

That was what his lips said, but his cock was rock hard under me and his hands were clasped on my hips keeping me where I rolled my hips against him. All I had on was the satin nightgown, no panties, and he slept naked. I could feel the tip of seeking my wetness. He was like steel wrapped in silk between my thighs. I ground against him, sucking the lobe of his ear into my mouth.

"We need to…" his words cut off with a shudder.

"Fuck," I offered.

"Absolutely," he growled.

I knew by the way he didn't pull the slight dress off over my head that he was going to be rough. He slipped the flimsy straps down and exposed my breasts. He sat up sucking the hardened buds and kissing me alternatively. There was something about the way this ancient vampire touched me that made me melt from the inside out. Seconds later, I was face down, my back arched, and my sex exposed.

I knew a time would come when I didn't feel like a half-lit stick of dynamite ready to blow. That time wasn't now. I felt him at my entrance, and then he was thrusting into me. That was all it took. My body trembled as I climaxed, my muscles clamped down tighter to keep him right where he was. His fangs sank into my neck. He came while he drank from me but it was fuel. He didn't give me a break. It took about ten minutes for him to exhaust the human part of me.

"Baby…you're going to hurt me," I begged.

"No, you won't let me," he said not letting up.

He used more force and I knew he wanted me to reciprocate in kind. It took him biting me again until it was out of my control. I flipped us and straddled him. He was looking at me in anticipation but all I wanted was to sink my fangs into his neck while I rode his cock. That was exactly what I did. His arms wrapped around me, his fingers knotted in my hair, and he let me get all I needed. An hour later he was lying beside me looking much worse for wear. I'd made a mess of him.

Instead of neat puncture wounds, he had little tears and blood had stained us. Usually when I took his blood he made the punctures and fed it to me. I'd been thought to feed off the hoof and to make clean bites. I was just out of practice and extremely out of control. It took every ounce of will I had not to lick the dried streaks of blood off him.

Eric smiled and tossed his hair back, knowing just how enticing he was. "I know you want to taste me again."

It was as if he could read my mind. To make matters worse, his voice sounded like warm chocolate and the taste of him lingering on my tongue was like sin. I actually brought my fists to my mouth and bit them to fight temptation. It didn't help when I saw him getting hard all over again.

"Come here," he said, holding out his hand. "Just one little taste, I know you want to…I want you to."

Sin and temptation versus my weak will; impossible to resist but I tried. I shook my head more to clear it than to refuse. "No," I told him. "I'll hurt you worse."

The last word of that sentence sounded off, I'd cut my upper lip on my fangs. I meant to say worse but it sounded like '_worcfe_'. Great…

I wanted to say that Eric understood but he gave me no response. His eyes watched a light trickle of blood as it seeped from my lips. I knew he was going to attack. There was no fear, nothing of the sort. I was tingling with anticipation and desire. He would pounce and then fuck me mercilessly as he fed. Any and all attempts at civility or sanity would be lost. I don't think I'd ever wanted anything more.

We were two mated predators in a room with the scents of our blood and fucking to heighten our cravings. All my fears of poor fang work were forgotten. I wanted some of him; I didn't care how I got it. In between the haze of our loving we had bloods to keep up our strength. It was almost noon when Eric and I passed out from exhaustion.

Eric woke before me much later. "You are not a cheerleader," He said. "You can't be."

"Hey!" I grumbled. "I can too."

"Okay, you have the ass and tits for it," He said squeezing the respective parts of my body. Easy as his touch was, it was enough to have me think of starting something. He pet me intimately but didn't let either of us get carried away. It was enough to feed my need for his touch.

"Inability to carry a tune aside, you are too strong. You sit aside and watch as the need to run dances in your eyes."

I couldn't deny that but the thought of running amongst the vampires of this area was something I didn't think I was ready to do. There were several reasons; the main one was that I didn't want to explain. Vampires weren't the only ones present at the games. The humans present would see and they would talk. I knew it was cowardly but I wasn't ready to let go of the ordinariness that being human brought me.

"All the regents of Amun know what you are," He said.

I nodded, wishing that wasn't the case. It had been a split second decision. I had to step in or they were going to string up Peter by his intestines and wait for the sun to bake him. I had bought their cooperation with money and their silence with fear the night my father banished me. Fear wouldn't hold them forever. To be honest I was surprised that no one had written a tell-all book about me yet.

"Then where is the harm in you standing out?" he asked.

"I'm just not ready to." I replied. "I like…"

"Pretending," he inserted.

There was no condemnation or judgment. He was just stating what he thought was true. "I can understand that."

I scoffed. He was trying to make me feel better; those were the only times that Eric lied to me with no compunction. He turned me so we were eye to eye.

"I mean it," he said firmly. "I went from human to vampire. The roles and expectation were plain in both forms. Young as you are, you have had the most complicated life and it confounds my mind to contemplate the complexities of it. . You were raised to be a Queen by vampires. Yet, you are not fully vampire nor are you entirely human or Fae. Finding your place can't be easy and I don't think it ever was."

"My place is with you," I said immediately. "There is nowhere in this world I would rather be."

"I know, and truly I know how lucky I am, but you are stifling yourself," He held my face in his hands so we were eye to eye. "You don't have to. I love you. I would never want that for you."

I don't know why but I just wanted to hug him and cry. That was exactly what I did. It was only because I felt safe and loved enough to do something that made me look so weak. He held me tight against him as if trying to smother my pain away.

"The only thing that I'm sure about is you, us," I blubbered. "Everything else…I just have to take one day at a time."

"I am sorry to make you feel that it must be now, it doesn't have to be. One day at a time is nothing, Lover," He said while he wiped my tears. He smiled my smile at me and it was beyond adoring. It took all my insecurities and ground them to dust. "We have forever."

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><p><strong>AN:** I know this Fic has a bit of a slow start but just stick with me.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Things are moving along but I'm curious, do you all want a monster posting now even if it means waiting later, or is this pace okay? I ask because I think if you're really giving a story a chance you'll know in about 10 chapters whether or not it's for you. I would hate to waste anyone's time.**

** Tanseynz, thanks for reading. (Sorry to put you on the spot; I didn't have the PM option) I think the basis of this Fic is hard to follow because you may have missed the first story 'Twisted and Turned' This is part two. Sorry, if that wasn't clear. On the upside if you decide to go back and read that, chapters from this would have time to pile up :D**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

I took time off work. It has been a long time coming. Working at Merlottes was part of me wanting to pretend to be nothing but human. I put it on the shelf. It wasn't making me feel normal. I needed to find balance. I couldn't continue to drive myself crazy about money. With the time off, I took to the woods that surrounded the house in Bon Temps. There, I unleashed the skill and power that had been simmering and slowly dying in my veins.

The first day, I raced myself and lost. When I pushed I tore more tendons than I cared to name. That put me on my ass for a full day even with Eric giving me blood but it didn't stop me. Thankfully my husband didn't try to either. We both knew what my limits were and this was pitiful. I didn't stop. I began taking in my necessary amount of blood; four bottles a week. It made all the difference.

Today I had a clear goal. More and more the thought of joining the monthly football match was appealing to me. The prospect of going toe to toe with Eric instead of just playing "catch and pillage the telepath" was incredibly sexy. Just entertaining the thought of letting myself cut loose was making my gums tingle. I had to stop trying to be just human or Fae. I could never be just one. I needed a way to embrace all parts of my lineage. My niche had always been speed, not power, but today I was going to push both.

I already knew if I joined the game I would be the fastest person on the field. That posed a plethora of other concerns. The vampires might react poorly. Then again, they might not. Living forever tended to make them numb to things they deemed impossible. Hell, if you'd asked them five years none of them would have seen themselves living and thriving in a vampire republic.

What worried me was being linked to the political upheaval of the past few years. That could get ugly. I was also worried about the human spectators. Coming out to the vampires meant coming out to the humans as well and there was no controlling the shockwave that would cause. I could tamper with their memories but that would be a never ending project, one I didn't want. The best thing to do would be to weather the storm I couldn't escape.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't know I had an audience until I saw him. That was just beyond clumsy. I had ears that worked beyond perfectly. My sense of smell wasn't that bad either. How had I missed a faery? It wasn't just a faery but The Prince of the Sky Fae. Damn, it was worst case scenario! If I had to guess why he was here, I would only need one shot.

Fifty or so feet separated us but I knew both of us could cover it in a blink. I stood still and watched him. In return, he watched me. He was dressed humanly enough, but any human with an ounce of sense would be able to see that he was different. The day was overcast but the space around him was effervescent, shimmering with sparks just from his presence.

Niall Brigant was in a pinstriped suit, his ash blonde hair fell just a few inches beyond shoulder length, and it hung about his face much as a curtain did a stage. His finely wrinkled face, his aristocratic nose, and the point of his ears were in full view. His eyes captivated me, eerily similar. Almost like mine but not quite.

"I have been watching you," He said in hello.

The thing about faeries I'd learned while growing up was that the more direct they were, the more stock you could hold in their words, conversely the more dangerous they were. What was doubly concerning? He was all by his lonesome. Then again I'd expect nothing less from a Prince of their kind.

I said nothing. I watched and waited. Every breath I took was fuel for my readied muscles. Not a single lungful carried his scent. He was masking it, that too was a not a big surprise. That was how he had snuck up on me. That and he had popped in away from the wind.

"I am peaceable," He said. "I have come to have words with you. Violence will occur if and only when you draw first blood in this encounter."

"Do you think I can't or I won't?" I asked calmly.

I don't why I issued that verbal challenge. Then again, I just couldn't help talking shit. In a fight, I couldn't beat him. There was a reason why he was the Prince of an entire race. He could and would wipe the floor with me. It wouldn't be easy, but he would do it, and be done in time for his afternoon nap. It left me suspecting that the only thing that kept him from doing just that was the backlash from the vampires who cared about me.

"I do not believe that you will, no," he replied, walking to close the distance between us. "Even if you had the will, I do not believe that you can."

He was now in front of me. I hadn't moved since I saw him. I didn't so much twitch a muscle. The rock that I had sat on to tie my shoes was still behind me. Just as my roundhouse kick could be devastating, my manners could be impeccable, so I waved my hand for him to sit beside me. The woods around my house were a far cry from a throne room but we were two people of royal blood.

What I offered in that single gesture was a silent agreement. It didn't matter where we were. We had to conduct ourselves in a certain manner. It isn't really something I can explain. It's a reflex imbedded after years and years of training. Niall sat beside me at a respectable distance; just a little further apart than two normal people having a conversation would sit.

"You are not what I was expecting," He said. It wasn't a question. By the way his eyes glanced over the side of my face; it was a statement of fact that shocked him. He didn't ask a question so I should have remained quiet but I went fishing.

"What were you expecting?" I asked.

With the fluidity that only one such as him could possess, he ignored the question. "There is a call for your blood."

Well, at least we were getting to the point. Faeries called for blood like ten times a day, spiteful and unforgiving as they were.

"Whatever for? And correct me if I am mistaken, Niall, but surely you have better things to do than chase down bounties."

I used his name for two reasons. The first was because someone my age shouldn't know his given name. The second was to let him know that we were equals. The pause that followed was pregnant and I didn't break it. Waiting was my game. It was to the point that the longer someone kept me waiting, the more they told me with every passing beat of silence. At least that was the case with most. Niall wasn't giving me anything to work with.

"No," he finally answered. "I came to see for myself the person who defeated my fiercest shield maiden."

Claudine had gotten the drop on me once before which made her pretty damned good. The second time I had been pissed and had the element of surprise on my side. According to her, she had cursed me at the behest of my biological father who was her uncle.

I supposed that made us cousins, but she was no kin to me. She was born Fae and I was vampire-raised. I wanted to say that I wished I'd never met her, but then that would mean I wouldn't have Eric. Every now and then when my thoughts roamed I'd look back to that day when I confronted her.

_"I gave you a chance," Claudine had told me. _

It had been a chance at life. I had taken it, grasped it with both hands, and refused to let it go. In hindsight, it made the injury I inflicted on her, her twin, and several other faeries needless. There were many things I regretted during that time in my life and that was one of them. I pushed all of that out of my mind. It was the past. I focused on the consequence of that beside me.

While he didn't ask me a question I spoke anyway. "If she is your fiercest, I am not surprised that the Sky Fae cannot hold its own against the Water," I turned to him with a false, inquisitive look on my face.

The air around me shifted. It wasn't the wind. It was the fury of the Sky Prince. I didn't flinch. I looked at him waiting for him to make his move. I'd already assessed his weak points. He was emotional about the conflict that plagued his people. Emotional people tended to make mistakes. Physically, the most obvious weak point was the intricately carved walking stick he used. It was obvious so it had to be nothing but a trap.

Wrinkled as he was, there was nothing rusty in the way he moved. I had to go with the worst case scenario. He was stronger and faster. Even without checking I knew his mind was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Getting in to do him harm was hard but not impossible. It wasn't as if he would just sit there twiddling his thumbs as I ripped his shields apart.

Just as suddenly as the static in the air rose, it dissipated. Niall didn't take the bait which left us at a bit of a stalemate. He wanted me to show my hand and I wanted him to show his, but both of us refused to be pushed.

"Would you care to walk with me?" he asked, getting to his feet.

He held his hand out to me in a very old-worldly fashion. "Of course."

I placed my fingers in his expectant grasp. I let him lead. I had iron on me so he couldn't teleport me anywhere, and there were only so many places that he could be headed. There was my house, and then there was the old Compton house to the far left. Niall chose option number three, the cemetery.

"I want to tell you a story," he began. "Your father, Fin,"

"Fintan impregnated my mother for his own reasons, but he was no father to me," I interrupted. "For this conversation to stay its course you will not confuse his role in my life."

I didn't pull away or raise my voice but the warning was clear. I knew he had gotten the better of me in that moment but I had Daddy issues. I made the distinction clear for him this once and I wasn't going to repeat myself.

The Sky Prince nodded absently. "Fintan is my son, so biologically you are a princess of the Sky. He was half-human, but that wasn't what made him weak. He was a selfish, indolent, and vain child. That did not change when he became a man. Women of all walks had always loved him and so long as they amused him, he loved them in return."

I didn't spare the time to sort through any emotions I felt rising to the surface regarding the fact that I was a granddaughter of the Sky Prince. It didn't matter; just as with Claudine and my biological father, Niall was no kin to me.

"Did you know you have a half-brother?" he asked.

With that he had won the silent power struggle in which we'd been engaged. I knew he wasn't talking about his son but my mother. The slip was obvious and I didn't try to hide it. My eyes betrayed me and I glanced down at the row of Stackhouses who were buried to our left. Some of the headstones were covered in moss.

I acknowledged it with a nod and put my mask back on. Niall knew more about the origins than my father. My curiosity burned even as my head blared out warnings. Going into the past was a dangerous thing because it couldn't be altered. Knowing the dangers, I continued the conversation.

"No," I told him.

He nodded. Whether he was pleased with himself for shocking me, I can't say. After my slip both of us were on higher alert as he continued the story.

"Yes, he is your elder and was still nursing at her breast when your mother met my son." He continued. "From what Fintan told me, she married because she had conceived but longed for so much more than what she had become. She discarded her infant son, her husband, and her whole life for his sweet words."

Niall pointed his cane at the headstone. It was that of Adele Stackhouse's son, Corbett. "He was her husband and, in his grief over her abandonment, he killed himself. He gave his son to his sister."

He gestured to a headstone a few rows over. Compared to those around it this one was new. It certainly wasn't a Stackhouse. From where I stood I could read that she had been. I'd seen the name before, Linda Stackhouse Delahoussaye.

"She had a daughter close in age to her newly orphaned nephew. She took both children and left this place so full of pain." Niall continued.

Leaving poor old Adele all alone, he didn't say it but he didn't have to. I knew it well. I had exploited it. Bill had been slowly altering the memories of Adele Stackhouse prior to my arrival in Bon Temps a few years ago. She would accept and welcome me as the child of Michelle and her son. It had been the easiest way to dislodge any suspicion of a telepath suddenly moving to town and stirring up shit. Her life was broken and it had been my mother's doing. That was why it had been so easy to implant me into her memories.

My father used to tell me _'People will show you who they truly are when you show them what they want most in the world.' _I knew my mother had been a whore. I'd found that out when I inquired about her from my eldest vampire brother, Sai. Her reasons were something I'd wondered about.

It would be easy to say that she had been doing it to support me, but she had me as her end of a bargain she never intended to keep. Her word and loyalty had always been for sale it seemed. She had left her baby for what? A beautiful stranger, and then she shunned the child she had birthed for him. I knew I should consider him a half-brother but I couldn't. In my head and in my heart it was of the utmost importance to make the distinction.

"A few years passed until Fintan came to me."

I knew this part of the story at least. "My mother had reneged."

Going off what I already knew and the information he had offered, I couldn't have been more than three, four at the most. How much time separated me and Michelle's first child? Niall had said he was still nursing. The curiosity killed me but I wouldn't stop this careful match by sating it.

The Sky Prince nodded. "He came expecting me to amass an army to vanquish legions of the undead, help him reclaim his child, and to punish the woman who had dared to defy him."

Even without my life to prove it, I knew that that didn't happened. As a princess I was thought to assess risks, as the Patriarch of an entire race, I knew that Niall would never do something like that.

"Instead I cursed him."

Interesting.

"Your cursed your son over a human," I wondered.

My tone was minutely scathing as if he had committed a faux pas, which from a supernatural standpoint, he kind of had. Fintan might have acted like a douche but it often took extremes for the Fae to begin hurling curses at one another.

"No!" The Sky Prince snapped.

His aggression had been an inadvertent thing. Good, as far as slips went we were even thus far.

"It was not the first time he had destroyed lives. I punished him because he brought a child into it."

I nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. He was perpetuating the propaganda the Water Fae use as platform for their purity wars," I said. "They still believe that anyone who carries Fae blood is damning the entire race, don't they?"

Niall's jaw clenched just the smallest amount but he said nothing. It didn't matter. I didn't need him to admit the truth. Faeries were an endangered species. Over time pure faeries began to die out as the sacred places that gave them power were mowed down for malls and office buildings. Now they were relegated to their home world. Yet, with every war they fought they polluted that place.

The disease that was rooted in their homeland wasn't relegated to just the Sky or the Water. Instead it was in the middle eating away at both, at least that was what Sai had told me. If they continued to fight it would eventually devour them all. Both sides had different ideas on what would save them and they were fighting over them still.

"I expected it would take him ages to break the curse but it didn't. I suspect he might have cared for you. He broke his curse and enlisted the aid of his elder brother's daughter," He gestured in my direction. "The rest you know."

I did but I didn't let that influence me as I asked, "What does your presence here mean?" I asked the Sky Prince.

It was obvious that he thought the journey through storyland would have clouded my mind. Yet, he didn't seem disappointed. His face creased hinting toward a smile.

"It means that Fintan is my son," He replied. "And I love him despite his many...very many flaws."

He turned to me and the expression on his face was all business. "Accounts of your attack suggest that you are a grave threat to my people. I must agree," He told me. "However, I believe you can be an asset, especially now that we are in need."

I paused for a respectable amount of time. It would lead him to believe that I was considering the offer, which of course I wasn't.

"My allegiance is not to the Fae," I told him.

"Yes, you ally yourself to those who are dead."

He attempted to keep the disgust from his voice but couldn't entirely manage it. I didn't take it personally. If the blood in my veins was like crack to an entire species I would be a little prejudiced too. "I find it curious that you were reared with such care while living in their midst."

I smiled austerely because he was on a fishing expedition. I didn't take the bait. "Vampires are complicated creatures," was my reply.

He smiled. Then he suddenly turned as if someone had called his name. I didn't see or hear anything, but for all I knew that had been the case. No one knew Niall's abilities.

"I will find you at a later time. We will settle our score."

Then he vanished, leaving behind a shimmer in the air. That sounded all kinds of ominous.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: There were some last minutes things that needed to be tweaked in these early chapter so the story flows more smoothly. I believe that I owe two chapters. That is why there will be two but I am really trying to make it a habit to do a monster posting but I don't have much in the stash. With out further excuses, here you are!

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

A few days later I'd gone to Bon Temps to do some housework and Niall was there seated on my porch. He wasn't alone. Behind the Sky Prince were two young-looking males in some kind of uniform. One of them was the male who had watched me at the wedding. The other was slightly taller with minty green eyes and an auburn mane.

Niall looked cool and I knew our game was back on. The other two with him, however, were vacillating between open aggression and disgust, so openly that they were both baring their sharp teeth. I utterly ignored them and continued making my way inside as if they weren't darkening my doorstep.

"Sit with me," Niall said. It wasn't a request. Taking an order from him would be the worst thing I could ever do. It had nothing to do with his guards being at my back. It would be seen as an act of submission and I just didn't bend. I kept walking as if I hadn't heard a thing.

"Enter," I countered. I opened the front door and walked in but I left it wide open behind me knowing he would follow.

I sat at the kitchen table and they joined me in the same formation. Niall sat and the other two flanked him.

"You owe The Sky Fae a blood debt," Niall started.

"A debt would suggest I borrowed or took that which wasn't my due," I retorted. "That is not the case."

This was Round Two and the gloves had come off as evidenced by the presence of his guards and his direct approach. The fact that I'd struck the first blow didn't help his mood either.

"You went too far and that is the common flaw in vampires. They believe savagery equals balance and respect."

"A savage would have slaughtered everyone on that ranch. Let me reassure you here and now, Prince, that I am very capable of savagery." My words were calm but I let the predator stand out in my eyes.

"Fortunately for you and yours, we vampires are not savages. We simply believe that the little fish should stay in the pond so as to avoid the sharks because sharks make no apologies to those who get in their way. We are sharks and, if you cannot see that, then you have no business sitting at my table."

With all the blood that Sai and I had shed when we caught up with Claudine, no one died. It would have been too easy for that to be taken as an act of war against all Fae. He either knew that or was hoping I didn't, or he was trying to gauge whether in fact I had avoided casualties on purpose.

"The only people you had the right to harm were Claudine and Fintan. You and your vampire harmed six others. You owe their families blood."

I waved my hand in a very regal manner to dismiss him. Both his guards growled, the taller one was inching forward. My expression said I could yawn though my conscience needled me. I'd just been so angry. I'd been set on making a point; setting an example that I didn't care who got caught in the crosshairs as I unleashed Sai. The memory of Claudine looking at me as if I was a monster came back but I shoved it away.

"I will say no more on this matter, Niall." My voice held a note of finality that I only had to use a few times in my life.

The auburn haired male growled. "Allow me the honor of killing this leech."

Point to me. I smiled, never taking my eyes off Niall. By speaking out of turn his lackey had shown a few things; lack of control, short sightedness, and an inability to sense danger in plain sight.

"Leave us," The Prince ordered.

They left with parting glowers aimed in my direction. "Colman is Claudine's mate. In addition to robbing Claudine of the Cluviel dor with which he gifted her, her recovery time caused them to miss her cycle; the only time they could hope to conceive a child."

In between conspiring to ruin my life, Claudine was trying to have a baby, which for the Fae was a hallowed thing because it was damn near impossible. It was another thing that was herding them toward certain extinction. I knew Niall had said that to get a reaction out of me. He was trying to measure my capacity for empathy. He wasn't the first to think I had no heart. I gave him nothing but I filed it away; knowing that it would, in fact, bother me but that would have to come later.

Niall smiled; it was an almost imperceptible thing. "Your ferocity and fighting skill is without question, yet your overall temperament is even, calm, pleasant really. You truly were brought up with utmost care, well educated in both worlds. The way you walk and talk, even the way you sit, is testament to that."

He waved his hand toward mine. They remained clasped in my lap with my thumbs steepled, my legs are crossed at the ankle, and my back straight with my shoulders squared. Of course my head was held high. This posture was so ingrained in me that I couldn't help it. He was an opponent and what he was seeing was my game face. If I wasn't getting harassed by him I would be shaking my ass to Beyoncé as I cleaned my house.

"It shames me to say this, but I envy the vampire that was able to shape you into what you are for you are everything a Princess should be."

That comment hit close to home. I blinked the pain away and nodded my head to hide it. "The Prince is most kind."

His smile widened, surely he hadn't been expecting me to thank him. I smiled too because he was trying to bait me with the most basic faery trick. Thanking a faery would indebt you to them for a bit.

"I considered the consequences of killing you," Niall continued without pause. "They are unfavorable even with your husband lacking a Queen to back any retaliation against my people. The Viking is an enemy I prefer not to incite. He can prove to be unpredictable, you know. Then there is your father."

That got a reaction out of me though it was slight. My shoulders tensed and my eyes narrowed only for a second but he didn't miss it.

"My spies say he has disavowed and exiled you," he waited as if I would supply an explanation. For some reason I did explain.

"We disagreed over my choice in a husband."

Niall nodded. "Well, the fact that he didn't kill you himself means it would be foolish for anyone to touch you. I am no fool. That leaves us few avenues for settling your debt in a peaceable manner."

I braced to act when he reached into his breast pocket. He unfolded a piece of paper and slid it to me. It was…my resume.

* * *

><p>"How do I look?" I asked Eric.<p>

"Like your clothes itch," He replied with a smile.

I scowled at him but the expression didn't hold, plus he was right. I couldn't keep my hands off myself. If I wasn't smoothing the grey pencil skirt, then I was tugging at the matching blazer. I'd selected this one after meticulous elimination rounds. I wanted to go with a pant suit. Eric had begged me not to.

"'You look like a particularly rebellious nun,'" He'd said.

I had to agree. The all-black suit had been two sizes too big as to hide my curves. The crisp button-down I wore underneath had been buttoned to my neck. In the end I needed to go with what gave me confidence. I went with the pencil skirt. It was classic with a pleated tail to mark it with modern style. I wore a blue silk camisole that complemented my eyes. I tied the look together with a pair of patent leather pumps. I felt confident and sexy, and that was the problem. I felt like I would be ogled, objectified, and not taken seriously. I dropped my hands and they slapped down at my sides gracelessly.

"Well?" I asked.

Response? Riotous laughter! I grabbed a pillow and assaulted him though I couldn't help but laugh. I knew that had been his aim, getting me to relax. The truth was I was nervous. He grabbed me and pinned me against the wall, careful not to wrinkle my suit. He eyes sparkled with amusement, and, when he brought his lips to mine, I felt his love even with the light peck.

"This isn't about Niall or the blood debt," He said cupping my face. "Niall doesn't want to fight with you or anyone else. We know that."

I nodded to agree. "I've never done anything like this. Nothing in my upbringing prepped me for having to actually try…it was always easy for me," I admitted.

Idly I wondered if this was what the first day of school had felt like for most people. I had no idea. I'd never interviewed for anything in my life. That included the prestigious elementary school I'd attended sporadically when I was younger. The school had required several rounds of interviews with the child and their family. My father had been more than a little scandalized.

'Humans, judging me and my daughter?' he'd asked Doctor Wexler. I hadn't been there but I had seen the conversation in the Doctor's mind later. It was one of the few times he had been afraid that my father would bite him. 'Meeting Sookie will be epitome of their insipid lives. Have her enrolled and inform them they are most welcome.'

I got in just like that. I went mostly because Amelia was enrolled but when I got bored I stopped. I never had a formal education in any other institutions either, never mind a job interview aside from Merlotte's, but that was different. I'd seen the job as an objective to an end goal.

"I'm not great with people, especially humans in social situations," I told him.

I had the tools to read and influence the action of mortals but I didn't want that either. I wanted to be liked. That sounded so juvenile but it was just the way I felt. Christ. Give me a vampire uprising to quash, a computer code to crack, or a thesis to write. This was impossible. I hated my nervousness but knew it was a normal part of being, well, normal, even though there was nothing normal about this job or me. This was the initial position I wanted at the University of Florida's research science division called Wyman Tech.

After layers of bullshit, it turned out that it was Niall's base of operations. That explained why I hadn't been able to get much information over the phone. Most likely they wanted me to come down for an interview so one of the Fae could screen me. This was how Niall wanted me to repay my debt. On the resume I'd sent them I'd accredited me as having a Doctorate in genetics. I'd never tried but I was sure I could have one if I wanted.

"Stop thinking about it," Eric said, running his hands over my body.

It was to straighten my clothes, but, cool as his hands were, they left a molten trail on my skin even through the barrier of my clothes.

"You emancipated two vampire Kingdoms. You faced off with regents from an entire territory single-handedly to do it. In comparison, this is nothing."

I nodded and tried to believe that. "You're okay with this?" I asked him, hooking my thumbs in the loops of his jeans to keep him even closer.

He smiled and nodded. "Initially no, not at all. I respect that you want to work, admire it even. I cannot accept that you feel you must do so to support us."

Oh, the complexities of having a penis. "I want to though."  
>He nodded and tucked that ever wayward curl from my face. "I know that now but then...I wanted nothing more to chain you to a stove." he said with a devilish grin.<p>

I punched him but he only laughed outright. "I worry about you and I miss you every single second you are not within arms' reach. It makes it hard to let you out of my sight, never mind out of the state for days at a time."

I wrapped my arm around him again. I knew he missed me but I never really knew what it cost him to let me have my own life. It hadn't once occurred to me that it was a struggle for Eric to not lock me up in his coffin with him. It was and he didn't make it a problem for me because he knew how much I valued my freedom. If it was possible I loved him a little more. I couldn't tell him for some reason, I just hugged him tighter and he let me. When we finally pulled apart he was beaming a beatific smile at me.

"Seeing you like this, however," he said tracing my lips with his. "I understand you finding work isn't about guilt or money."

God! I loved him. Even if fate reached into my dreams and pulled out what I had believed was the perfect man, it wouldn't compare to Eric in the flesh. He knew me better than I knew myself. He was patient with me as I caught up with him on that knowledge. He told me the truth, pulled no punches, and he pushed me to never apologize for anything I felt. I wrapped my arms around him and hoped he could feel everything I didn't think I would ever be articulate enough around him to say. He held me tight.

When we pulled apart his smile turned mischievous. We both sensed the presence close by. My ride was here. "I know you can handle anyone foolish enough to give you trouble, faery especially."

At the answering growl, we grinned at each other. It wasn't very mature but it was so us. Eric walked me out. He held my hand and easily carried my duffle bag with the other. Preston was the faery who had come to scout me at the wedding and he was on the other side of the door.

"He's pretty," Eric said with a heavily lustful look at my chaperone. I played the game because it was fun, plus you should confuse your enemy at every opportunity.

"Told you he was," I said letting my voice go low and seductive. "I love his lips and you should hear him growl, it's…"

I pretended to shiver as if utterly delighted. Then, as if practiced, Eric and I were staring at him like he was chocolate or blood, or both in my case. The poor faery flushed and looked at us as though we were both nuts. He didn't know if he should take a fighting stance; guard his neck, his loins, or what. I swallowed my laughter and turned to Eric to hide my smile as he kissed me goodbye.

"Be sure to check in," He said. I love you was what I heard.

I nodded. "I will. Then again I might want you to hunt me down." Translation, if I don't call, do just that.

I'd never used the Fae mode of transportation before. It sucked so much more than I imagined. The journey was instantaneous. One second I was looking at Eric and the little farm house in Bon Temps that served as our second home. The next I was in a room that I didn't recognize. My senses went into hyper-drive to figure it out but I couldn't. I was so groggy. Black spots blinked in my vision. It took everything I could do to stay on my feet while not leaning on the faery who had ferried me here.

"This is your room," Preston said.

It was a faculty dorm. I wondered about how many of them were human. Already I picked up mental signatures of Weres. Would I be working with faeries as well as humans? Were the humans in the know? I had no idea. I pushed my curiosity and I placed my suitcase at the foot of my bed. There would be time to unpack and ponder everything later. Here in Florida the sun was shining and I had important people to meet.

I walked beside Preston when we exited the faculty hall and made our way to the Science Building. There, I was introduced to another faery though this one was built much like Eric, tall, broad-shouldered, and not even the lab coat he wore could hide his muscles. His face was all hard lines, strong jaw, and deep-seated citrine eyes. His hair was short for a faery. It was just a tad longer than military standard.

"Caspian, this is she," Preston said. "Sookie Stackhouse." Or The Devil incarnate, as his tone implied.

Sheesh, you beat up a house full of faeries and they started treating you like the goddamn Boogeyman.

This Caspian looked me over in open appreciation that somehow didn't feel like a leer. "It is a pleasure, Ms. Stackhouse," His smile was charming as he held his hand for me to shake. "I see that your beauty was understated."

I smiled politely and nodded my head in standard vampire greeting. "Likewise." Not really, I hadn't been told squat about with whom I would be working or on what I would be working. I'd assumed both were super-secret.

His smile was untouched. "This way."

I followed him into a security booth where I received my ID badges and then into a conference room where I would meet the rest of his team. I was nervous but I refused to let it show as I waited.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What exactly is your field of expertise?" Caspian asked as we waited.

My response was one part honesty, quarter part nerves, and the rest cockiness talking. "The easier question would be what isn't," I told him.

Caspian sniffed and rolled his eyes. "Do regale me."

I turned to Preston. "Back at the Faculty residence, he grabbed iron full on when he opened the door."

I hadn't really been paying attention to it, but basic instinct had caught it and filed it away until I saw a pattern and could explain it.

"You handled my key chain with your bare hands."

The chain was constructed mostly of cheap woven fabric, but the clasp was iron, yet he hadn't even flinched. His grin faltered and Preston's eyes narrowed. I took Caspian's hand, slowly, so Preston wouldn't do anything that required me kicking his ass, and held it to the light. I had to angle it just right to confirm what I suspected. Over his hand was a kind of second skin that was nearly undetectable.

"There are few methods that would allow for a level of micro adhesion to act as to repel agents on a biological level. The barrier is also removable, so it isn't kinetic or bio-fusion. This uses 'Wexler's Theory of Cnidarians'. Good choice but you applied it incorrectly."

At this point his eyes were wide and his mouth wasn't far behind. I let go of his hand and it fell like dead weight onto the table. It snapped him out of it just as the room began filling with people. I was introduced as his assistant. The news garnered me everything from envy to disdain. When the meeting was over only two remained. They were the Joint Senior Chiefs of Staff, a gray-haired Indian woman named Chari Gupta, and a gangly, middle-aged man with thinning hair and outdated bifocals, named Isaiah Argeneau.

They were both in the know judging by the way they regarded Preston. It humbled Chari, but further inflamed Isaiah's 'better than thou' complex. He knew what to look for so he knew I wasn't Fae. That automatically made me a dumb blonde who had to have exceptionally remarkable bedroom skills. That was why I didn't have human friends.

"Explain to us why you think we have adapted Wexler's Theory incorrectly," Caspian began.

"Impossible!" Isaiah said.

Chari nodded and mildly added, "It has been proven countless times to allow the Fae to handle iron."

All eyes were on me. I could play nice to avoid conflict but that wasn't how I was raised. "I know it was adapted incorrectly because I wrote it."

You could have heard a fly burp, it was so quiet in that room. Isaiah's face was red and he looked ready to lose it but he didn't know where to begin.

"Leave us," Caspian said.

Chari happily bolted, but it was with heavy reluctance that Isaiah followed. Oh, man! I couldn't wait to talk to Eric about all this! I was going to have office politics!

"Niall informed me that you are twenty-seven-years old, chronologically. You expect me to believe that you developed, tested, and perfected that theory all before you were seven years of age?"

"Six," I corrected.

I reached for a piece of scrap paper. Caspian looked doubtful but wholly curious and wasn't above peeking at what I wrote. I scribbled down the formula I'd proposed when originally writing the paper. I fiddled with it until I was sure I had the formula for his glove, and then underneath it, I wrote what it should have been. The difference was slight but the results staggering.

"In solid form, Mesohyl carries a risk of synthesizing toxins over time instead of resisting it."

He nodded, "Yes, that was a concern but the need was great. Everything in the outside world was turning to iron it seemed. Also, I had no idea how to stabilize it once it was in liquid form."  
>"Can't be done. Emulsify it with ethanol and turn it into gas." I concluded, holding the sheet up.<br>He took the scrap piece of paper as if afraid I would steal it away. With a wave of his hand it withered into glittering white sprinkles that were seemingly absorbed into his skin. Interesting, I could honestly say I'd never heard of such a thing before. I arched a brow in question but he just smiled. It was stunning. Don't get me wrong, I knew the sight was panty-melting good but mine stayed firmly in place, handsome as he was.

"I'm a nerd through and through. Fortunately, I am beautiful."

A typical faery can't go ten minutes without a compliment, even if they had to give it to themselves. I shrugged impassively when what I really wanted to do was smile. He was looking a bit sheepish. Oddly enough, I thought it was genuine.

"Shouldn't take long to replace the gloves."

"Not at all," Caspian agreed.

"The glove was the only thing that saved Claudette's hand when you stabbed her," Preston accused.

I didn't flinch but it took effort. As I'd suspected with Claudine I did feel conflicted. Every time I thought of that day, the horrified look in her green eyes continued to haunt me. I didn't regret my actions. I needed to use force, but I had to admit to myself that it might have been excessive.

I recalled that Claudette had been so oblivious, chatting with her twin about something until I came along and stabbed her in the hand. I had used an iron blade and I had nailed her to the table. I might have been able to justify Claudine even knowing that I'd cost her a rare reproductive cycle. Her sister wasn't so easy because she'd been so ditzy. I had no reason to stab Claudette. Punching her in the face would have sufficed, I'd known she was weak.

Tension descended and along with it came my mask of cool. I wouldn't dignify him with a response as I asked Caspian "Is there anything else with which you would like my help?"

Caspian seemed to have some internal debate but in the end he nodded, "Repopulating my species."

I stared at him not sure if he was serious. He was, deathly so. "Okay, so no big deal then."

I checked in with Eric when I finally returned to the Faculty Residence Hall. Now that my anxiety had disappeared and I'd gotten through my first day, I didn't know how I was ever going to get to sleep without him. This place was too new and not entirely friendly territory either. Then again, it wasn't overtly hostile. I couldn't sleep so I started to contemplate the solution for Fae infertility.

Doctor Wexler had told my father I was a genius and, in a sense, he was right. I had the IQ to prove it but, when I did the impossible, I didn't think it had anything to do with that. It was like being on a desert island with a boat miles and miles into the ocean. The only way to reach the boat was to continually visualize myself on it. I would simply sit with a question in mind and over time, I gathered information about it, and then, BAM! I had my solution. I didn't know to which part of my makeup I could attribute that. It didn't matter. It had never failed me. I also hadn't used it in a long while.

At some point I fell asleep but I woke too early. The bed was empty, cold, and smelled like me and me alone. All my senses felt like I was in the wrong place and needed to get back to where I belonged. It wasn't possible at the moment. Instead, I got up and explored the campus but all the while I felt eyes on me. Preston was nowhere in sight though. I guessed my daytime sitter was remaining invisible. I ignored it and headed into the city.

On a whim I went to Disney World. I knew exactly where it was; for a month Amelia and I had lived in Cinderella's castle. This trip wasn't just about nostalgia or paying triple for a bottle of water. The commute was over an hour but with the journey I lost my shadow. I wasted a good portion of the day.

I was in the parking lot headed toward my rental when a car with tinted windows sped past. When it passed me, it came to a screeching halt. Before I thought anything more, it sped away. Odd as it was, it was non-threatening. Since the driver wasn't thinking about me, I was forced to chalk it up as inconsequential.

Back at my room, Caspian was seated in front of the door. "Colman said he lost you," He said in hello. "They thought you ran off to do something dastardly." His face was a dramatic mask of malevolence complete with a pyramid of evil contemplation.

Do not smile. "Am I keeping you from his rallying of the torches and pitch forks?" I asked.

He laughed heartily. "I wasn't invited to this one. I've been here for a while and I need to head to the Café," He said. "Otherwise you will see a nerd have a meltdown. Believe me, that shit is ugly."

I went with. I could eat but Caspian had me beat. The servers didn't seem surprised; some had extra portions ready for him. I had to admit that he was seriously un-faery like; there was an apple in his mouth while we waited in line. Somehow he was eating it with no hands while he waited.

"So tell me about you," Caspian said. He pointed his French fry at my left hand. "I see you are married."

Immediately I clammed up. Any ease I felt in his presence faded. "Yes."

He eyed me and shook his head despondently. "Niall paired you with me in the hope that you would take to me and I to you on account of our being geniuses, good looks and my charm."

I snorted a laugh. That was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard. To my shock he laughed too. "I am charming, irresistible to most, but you are a rare breed known as 'The Happily Married.' A part of me suspects that The Prince knows this but he wants you to align to the Sky with a fervor I have never witnessed, why?"

I had that same feeling but I already realized Niall having given me this job was his way of doing just that. The fact that he thought pairing me with a pretty male Fae could tempt me in the least was beyond farfetched and well in the realm of lunacy, so much so I had never even considered it. I had no idea why Caspian was telling me this though. It could be an angle but that didn't seem plausible.

Instead of answering his question, I posed one of my own. "Why tell me this?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I still can't believe you've been writing under Wexler's name since you were a baby. I follow his work...well, your work like crack. The defining laws on 'Individual Molecular Cell Manipulation' alone…"

He was smiling like a total 'Fan girl'.

Our eyes met and we burst out laughing. "I am not normally this awkward. I'm actually quite suave."

I rolled my eyes. "I bet."

He grinned, making a few women around us take notice, "You never answered me about why Niall wants you so badly, even though it seems to upset everyone, Colman especially."

By his question, I knew it was upsetting everyone but him. He didn't get out much, obviously. It was stupid, but with the exception of Genie I had never met anyone who was so much into science, never mind another Supe. It made me want to answer his question but I didn't trust anyone there so I said nothing that wasn't already common knowledge.

"The only thing that comes more natural to me than this," I tapped my temple. "Is fighting, and I am very good at it. In fact, I can kill with very little physical or mental effort."

It was a warning simply because I liked him. It told him that while I might share a few laughs over lunch in the campus cafeteria, I was lethal. If push came to shove I would prove it. Caspian eyed me speculatively for a few seconds, but then he nodded. Admittedly I'd waited for him to balk. Instead he resumed eating his food easily. I picked at the little on my plate.

"I've got a class," He said. "I know you don't have shit else to do, so come on."

I followed him to the Human Biology course he taught. I had never been to college or even attended high school. I was fascinated by the assortment of people, many of whom didn't pay me the least bit of attention. I listened to the lecture and found myself… learning. Then again, Human Biology was a course I wasn't that into, having not grown up around many.

At some point I felt a presence in the class. I glanced to the door and there was Colman, scowling at me as if I was all that was wrong in his world. There was no emotion on my face but I felt that just maybe, I was. Not only had I injured his mate, I'd cost them both a chance at trying for a child, which he hadn't forgotten if his glare was anything to go by.

Now it made sense that Claudine had given up the invaluable Cluviel dor so readily. She didn't want to be hurt worse. I'd hurt her anyway. As far as robbing Claudine …I didn't give a rat's ass when it happened. I felt as though it was my due. She was my enemy and the magical pebble had been a spoil of war. It saved Sai when Eric had reduced him to ash. So why did I feel as though I owed her? Maybe I did and I guess that was part of the reason I was here.

My first week in Florida flew by. Reluctantly, I admitted that Caspian wasn't so bad. His mind was so open that it reminded of Ollie. Being the third son of a King, Oliver, much like Lysander, wasn't built for power. No, Ollie had a philosophical air that not even two centuries of undead life could steal. Of all my siblings, Oliver would be the only one who would encourage me to be friends with a faery.

When Preston came to return me home, I couldn't find it in myself to hide my excitement. He saw me smile and stopped short. Right, to him and many other people I was a soulless, bloodthirsty monster. There were some preconceptions you could argue with logic but others could only be dispelled by time. The faery needed time to get used to me.

Eric was at the farm house waiting for me. I'd thrown myself in his arms before my transporter vanished. I don't think we spoke that night. It was all physical. I needed to feel him. I needed to drown all my senses in his love. I did, however, talk his ear off the next evening on our way to Fangtasia. I don't think he got a word in edgewise. I didn't let him but then he started laughing.

He tried to talk through it but couldn't. I frowned having the distinct feeling I was being laughed at.

"I'm not above hitting an old man," I warned.

He rolled his eyes. "You were gushing and prattling...it isn't you."

I supposed not. "It was better than I thought it would be."

He took my hand as he helped me out of his car. "I am glad."

My emotions went from shock to curiosity and finally settled on uncertainty as we walked into Eric's office at Fangtasia. Pam sat on the couch dressed in her usual garb. Beside her was a pair of vampires I didn't know. One was a scrawny preteen dressed in dark clothes too big for him and no soul. He seemed to be nothing but a shell. Holding his hand was a scarred dark-haired vampire who was dressed similarly.

Pam was looking at me with indifference. We weren't friends but we were amicable, and I knew if only because of Eric that she cared. It didn't help that the scarred vampire seemed to look at me as if I was something the cat had dragged in. I couldn't process that. My attention was torn between the boy who had no light in his eyes and my husband. Eric had turned into a statue. The hold he had on my fingers went from light to painful in a blink.

I needed him to get him to give me direction on what to do. Thankfully, he did. He thawed immediately, the hold he had on me eased, and he smiled. I knew Eric but that smile wasn't mine. It was generic. Okay, we had to fake it. Game on.

I looked at the boy and his face registered. "Alexei Nikolayevich Romanov," I said with a proper curtsy. "Youngest Tsar in Russian history."

Something behind his soulless eyes sparked, but then the scarred vampire ran a scarred hand and yellowed nails through his hair and the light was gone. My skin crawled and my stomach turned, but in the room I was the only one who seemed to take notice of something that was so wrong. My game face slipped and it took everything I had not to act. Eric must have felt it. He wrapped an arm around me, it looked like affection but it was to restrain.

"Welcome, Ocella." Eric said with a deep nod. "Meet my wife, Sookie. Sookie, meet my Maker, Appius Livius Ocella."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: We are moving right along. I read each and every review and the consensus is that the appearance of Ocella spells trouble, or does it? **

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

Disrespecting Eric's Maker in front of him would be bad on all fronts. So while I didn't want to nod in acknowledgement and respect, or even want to blink to break the staring contest he had initiated, I did all three because Eric had.

"She is quite lovely," Ocella said.

He was complimenting the vampire I was attached to, not me directly. It told me what he thought of me. It wasn't much. It was vampire standard. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't take it as an insult. I was married to his child so I knew an insult was exactly what this was. The most infuriating part was that it wasn't directed at me, per se. Ocella didn't know me. He couldn't know that I knew vampire decorum, that I was raised in it. No, he was letting Eric know what he thought of his wife.

Temper. I knew I had one. It was a weakness and my father had done his best to train me to guard against it. For the most part, he was successful. I knew my triggers and my "tells" well. Eric was a hair pin trigger. Already I could feel my muscles tensing. My breaths were slowing, and then they would stop and that was when I struck, using that delayed inhale to fuel my speed. I couldn't do that. It wasn't a choice. I needed to go. Eric knew it too.

"Sookie, please check in with Long Shadow to see what he needs while Pam is here with us."

I nodded and stalked out of the room before he even finished talking. I didn't head toward the bar, I made way for back entrance. Once outside I counted backwards from ten thousand. At around the five thousand mark I got the worst of it under control. I was better than this. I always was until things got personal. I needed to detach a little otherwise I would do something I would regret. It didn't get more personal than this though. Eric's Maker was here and he didn't like me. In addition he was boy-loving bastard.

In the time that Eric and I had been together the subject of his Maker had only come up once. He told me he seldom saw his Maker even before coming to the New World, and once he became a sheriff he saw him even less. From that short meeting I already gathered why. Ocella lived like the vampires of old. I would bet my salary that he hadn't so much as touched a bottle of synthetic blood.

"Think, don't feel." I muttered. "Think, don't feel."

To be fair, in Ocella's time having a boy lover was acceptable. It wasn't seen as perverse but a show of status and higher understanding. He hadn't changed though the times had. I was making a case for why Ocella wouldn't think he was doing anything wrong. It wasn't a strong case but it was better than nothing. I wasn't a made vampire. There were just some things I couldn't understand.

I knew that the ties that bound a Maker and child were fortified in blood. Blood almost always went hand in hand with sex. It could be possible that Alexei had initiated it as he rose to this new life. Hormones at his age, not to mention that his mind would have been gone and…that thought was logical but I wanted to gag on it. I knew I was trying to lie to myself.

My father had given me blood as a child almost every day of my life. At one point or another all my brothers had done the same due to various injuries. No one had touched me in a sexual way, ever. I had been undressed, bathed, and dressed by them all during my childhood. I'd slept in the same bed with all my brothers and father too. I wasn't a sexual object to any of them nor should I have been.

Ocella was just a pedophile. He had reached for Alexei just as something akin to life flickered in his eyes. Even if he didn't know what he was doing, he had to know the effect that it was having on his child. I cursed and came close to punching a wall. That prompted me to resume counting.

"What are you doing?"

I looked up and there was Alexei. He could be a waif, a specter even, and he looked for all the world as if the wind would knock him over. The only thing visible even to my eyes was his hair and those listless eyes.

"Counting," I replied coolly.

He didn't say anything else and I went back to my counting. I eyed him and something else occurred to me. Alexei wasn't just souless, his mind was loose if not entirely unhinged. There were routine sights and sounds in the night but his ears didn't even twitch. His eyes didn't seem to track anything, rather they stared with unwavering intensity at one thing at a time. At the moment they were on me. With every second that passed, his pupils glazed.

"Are you well, Alexei?" I asked.

"He is fine." I didn't have to turn to identify the speaker. "Perfect, really."

Ocella had come from the door and was now holding Alexei by the hand. I ignored it because if I was being honest there was nothing I could do. I couldn't turn back time. I couldn't mend a broken mind. More importantly I couldn't break the tie between a Maker and their fledgling. That last realization sent a surge of uncertainty through me.

Eric was also a creation of Ocella. I didn't like him but I didn't hate him enough to wish that he had never existed. If there had been no Ocella then there would have been no thousand-year-old vampire Viking for me to love. I had that realization and when I looked up, Alexei was again looking at me with those flat eyes. Somehow I felt he knew that I wouldn't have given up my happiness to spare him pain. At this point I couldn't look at Alexei from the shame of it. I felt as disgusting as Ocella should but clearly didn't.

"He looked hungry," I murmured. "I was just wondering if he needed a blood."

"Our journey has been long. He has yet to feed."

It could have been just be my emotions but every word he uttered felt like slime. His voice alone was the hiss of a snake. He was looking at me and my instincts rattled against the confines I placed over my vampire nature. I knew that if I was someone else he would have attacked me. He wouldn't just have taken blood. He would have taken my life. I clenched my teeth to keep my fangs sheathed. I knew vampires. No matter what he thought of me, Ocella wouldn't hurt me because of Eric. I was right a part of wished I wasn't. I wanted to hurt him but I needed a reason.

"Come Alexei, we must go if we are to make it to your shows."

The pair turned and left. The only one who spared me a parting glance was Alexei. The expression on his face was hard to explain. I was still thinking it over as the two disappeared into the night. When Eric came outside to find me, those eyes still plagued me.

There wasn't much dialogue between us. My mood was shot and I sure as shit wasn't bubbling with excitement over my successful week at my very first job. I didn't even ask what his Maker wanted, if he was coming back, or what God awful show he was going to drag Alexei to see. Just constant physical contact. I needed it. Later that night as we lay in bed the silence continued. It felt as though we were both waiting for the sun. I knew I wasn't the only one who was trying to forget the earlier part of tonight.

"I know that was…difficult." My husband said moments before sunrise. "Trust me; I know how to handle him."

I didn't want to. I didn't even want to think about it. Ocella was gone and I wanted to forget him. I was wishing him ill but I couldn't because of who he was. For a while I said nothing as my wants and devotion warred. Then Eric nuzzled me and squeezed me until I turned to face him.

"I need you to trust me," He said, cupping my face.

Just like that the thoughts and feelings of the night's events were there, but while I was in his arms nothing else seemed to matter. It was one thing to have to battle my own insecurities. I could do that, never get anywhere, but not care. Where Eric was concerned I couldn't not give into him. I trusted him more than I trusted myself. I leaned into his touch and kissed his palm. The distance between us vanished physically and emotionally as he pulled me into his arms.

"I trust you," I admitted. "I trust you more than I trust me."

My husband kissed my lips, my head, and my cheeks before the sun pulled him under. He succumbed to the pull of the sun with a smile on his face. I touched him, tracing his beauty with my fingertips until I too fell asleep. The last thought I had was that maybe I didn't just dislike Ocella but his presence brought insecurities I didn't know I'd had.

It must have just been residual paranoia from the single encounter but I was waiting for Ocella to return the next evening. He didn't. It was business as usual. I returned to Florida for work on Monday and nothing had changed there either. I'd prattled enough about Caspian for Eric to know him as well as I did. Strangely enough he was encouraging of my colleague. He wasn't the least bit jealous or intimidated, not that he had a single reason to be.

Life was great, better than it had been in long time. It was better than I thought it could ever be. The love and devotion of my other half had seen me through the loss of my family. In the months that followed it wasn't all that was keeping me together, yet that fact didn't make it any less crucial or dear to me. I needed Eric as much I needed air. That would never change.

When I was home I helped Eric with the renovations of the bar. Now that I was making a generous income, he was comfortable doing it. That wasn't entirely true. I knew he hadn't been doing things as grand as he'd wanted so I was there making sure that he did. I honestly hadn't cared that lest the cost of materials to make his serum, the rest was going into the bar.

I was happy. Two Christmases with the vampire that has everything and other than getting naked, I hadn't felt as if I'd given him anything he loved. I was now able to provide him with something he actually needed. It was even more worthwhile to see the creative part of him meet his business savvy self.

With a job that challenged me, albeit monumentally, I'd discovered what it was like to have discussions about my passion in varying sciences with someone other than Doctor Wexler. Even Isaiah Argeneau's jealousy stabbing at my mind every time we crossed paths didn't bother me in the least. I was coming out of my shell, and feeling as though I had found my place.

"I wanted to have a powwow to see where you are so far," Caspian said, catching up to me as I arrived for my fourth month in Florida.

"Where I am with what?" I asked laughing to myself when Preston vanished. Eric and I just had another successful attempt at rattling the shit out of him.

Caspian huffed. "Newlyweds!" he snapped. Then more thoughtfully, he added. "You make wedding a vampire seem…almost not horrible."

I grinned. Technically I wasn't a newlywed but, then again, forever was a very long time. "If you've never had fang you've never been banged."

He laughed shaking his head. "Did you miss the sexual harassment orientation? I really don't need another 'Chester-The-Molester' or 'Lewd-Lance' on staff."

We both laughed at that. Indeed I hadn't missed that class, but Eric and I had used these tactics to make Preston uncomfortable every time he came to get me, and now we plotted days in advance. It wasn't our fault that he made himself such an easy target. It had reached the point that when he showed up blushing he knew what was in store. Hilarious!

"He isn't staff technically."

"What time works for you?" Caspian said before we parted ways.

The Fae scientist had back-to-back classes to teach. We wouldn't be working on creating the gloves. That freed up my entire day. It had taken more time because I had to buy supplies on my own but I had found everything I needed to create a batch of the serum. I'd been working on it little by little and hoped to finish it today. I couldn't wait to see Eric in the sun again. "Do we really have to do that? I had other things to do."

He paused and I knew that he was trying to be tactful, something that was not his forté. "I cannot put into words how critical this project is, however, it doesn't even seem as though it's on your 'To Do List.' Isaiah believes that you have some sort of secret project in the works."

Of course he did. I was so going to catch that man in a dark alley one of these nights. "He's just jealous."

Caspian nodded. "Very much so but he isn't lying. You are working on something else. I don't care. I would welcome anything your mind spits out so long as it didn't harm the Fae but I need to know that you care about the Genesis project."

"Any useful information I can give you about it would wipe my blood debt," I replied. "So trust me that it's on my list. I care."

"But you've never asked any questions nor brought up the topic ever again. I never expected you to have solved anything but I was certain we would have had thoughts and theories to compare."

I nodded because in a manner of speaking he was right. "I've figured it out but I only had one question that you either couldn't or wouldn't answer me."

Caspian froze. For a full sixty-three seconds he just stared while emotions flickered through his citrine eyes. They flared brightly and dimmed as his emotions churned. I'd known I would shock him. It was then that it occurred to me that a part of me, the ever-cautious, almost-paranoid part of me that was vampire, thought he was faking his whole 'sexy, easy-going' scientist persona.

I was wrong. Caspian was utterly shell-shocked. My suspicions about his guards were confirmed when Colman appeared in the room in front of Caspian with his sword inches from my face.

"No!" Caspian yelled. "Leave her!"

His yell brought Isaiah and Chari rushing over. Isaiah already had a phone in hand, ready to call security, hopefully on me, the dick.

Monday morning nightmares, I thought snidely. The humans in the room were in the know but even they'd never seen a faery look like this. Colman looked fierce in what I thought was a Sky Fae Mall Cop uniform. I had to admit that his animosity toward me colored my perception of his regalia. It also said something that his duds got more attention from me than the sword he had at my neck, one I knew he was eager to use.

Colman backed off. He sheathed his sword but kept his hand on the hilt. While Caspian took care of Chari and got rid of Isaiah, the other faery stared at me. He sneered, and I ate my muffin.

"Are you sure?" Caspian demanded upon his return. I noticed that he placed himself strategically in front of me. "What? When? How?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know."

Caspian seemed stunned but Colman sniffed. "Whatever it is she will never give it, not without some weighty recompense. She is a vile and vicious thing like those whose company she keeps. Giving is not what her kind does. They take; they kill." He looked as if he thought about spitting at my feet.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I had a review in the previous chapter that mirrored what I felt:**

_"First let me tel you I am a bit shocked that you dont have a lot reviews. Your talented and have well written excellent sories. I dont get it you should have hunderds of reviews..."_

Thank you **Eli122**. Truth is, I honestly believe that I deserve a shit ton more reviews than I get, especially with the amount of people that follow me and this story. Reviews, especially those that hold constructive criticism, are invaluable to writers. Alas it is easier to hit the 'Next button'. It is disappointing but what I've learned is that I have to write the Fic I want; one that's just for me. I share it and hope that someone out there in this great big world feels the same and chooses to let me know.

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

I don't know why. Well, maybe I did, but I didn't want to acknowledge the reasons. Colman's words cut me on some level. It wasn't that I'd forgotten what I was raised to be or what my capabilities were. In the past few months I'd found that there was more to me than that, even more than me being a genius. What hurt most of all was the way Caspian looked at me. I had begun to view him as a friend.

I nodded my head like the Princess my father had raised, "Call Niall. I wish to renegotiate our terms. Do not come back without him."

Caspian had his mouth open but I waved him away. "Leave."

"I didn't…"

We had things in common such as a love of scooting through the lab on the wheels of our office chairs. On many occasions we'd walked past the Math majors offering rude gestures behind their backs. I was inherently good at it but I hated math. It was the only science that could not be manipulated. One plus one will always equal two, no matter your methods.

Caspian and I had that in common. He had taken me out when he presumed my vampire was asleep to show me around. He didn't care that I didn't want him. He didn't care that I was feared by his people and mine. Even with all that, I never forgot for one second that he would stab me in the back to save his people. He never denied that and I respected that. No, I shouldn't have confused us for friends; we were merely acquaintances with a common goal.

I let the animosity roll off me in waves, "Now."

Sensing that the situation would only deteriorate, they left. Colman was pulling Caspian with him.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," He said on his way out.

"They'll tell you that had you succeeded in hurting me in any capacity, you'd be much worse for wear."

I turned my back as the glass doors swung shut behind the pair. I sat in front of my breakfast, not having even gotten through half of it. I pulled my phone out. I wanted to call Eric but he was dead for the day. I called him anyway just to hear his voice.

"This is Eric. I am unavailable. A single message is sufficient."

I remembered winning the argument that got him to personalize his voicemail. I'd argued that if I lost my memory again and all I remembered was his phone number and our address, I would think I was mistaken.

That deep sexy look took over. "Twice in one lifetime is impossible even for you, wife," He'd said. "But knowing you, I will remedy it just in case…unless you have warmed up to the handcuffing idea?"

The memory made me smile. Our homes, both of them, were full of pictures of us and his portraits. I'd thought showing Eric the sun would change his muse but it didn't. The pictures he painted were just was gripping only the coloring had changed. Instead of nights with multitudes of blues, blacks, and grays, I had a few of his paintings with burning oranges and reds of the rising sun. I could lose my mind but if I walked into the house in Shreveport, I would know how much I loved him and how much I was loved by him.

I spent the day the way I wanted. I worked and my emotions still ran high but I ignored them. It was harder than I ever thought possible. How could that be? I was trained to convey only what I wanted seen.

I'd been amongst my own family, all the people who knew me best while hiding that I didn't want to be there. During those long, lonely days in a home that had felt as if it was my prison, I'd been able to push thoughts of my husband from my mind. Now, a work buddy had looked at me funny, and my feelings were hurt. Disgusting.

"Knock, knock."

The words and the action weren't what alerted me to the fact that Caspian had come back to further grate on my nerves or make me feel like the boogeyman. I caught his scent and that of the late lunch he had brought with him. He was a vegetarian and a French fry addict, so the burger was for me. The scent made me realize I was hungry, but for one spiteful moment I thought about biting him.

"The last faery who thought to force something on me regretted it," I said turning to face him with a mask of coolness. He was alone which meant he was either not afraid or stupid.

He paused. "You would really hurt me, over that?" he asked, looking…wounded. As if he had any right to be!

"Yes," I replied firmly, although I wasn't sure I would be as quick about it as I might want to be.

At the door he hesitated, hiding his body behind it with his head inside he scrutinized me, "You've never fought with a friend?"

Of course I had! I had no idea what he was playing at but his assumption was wrong. Since I was five, Amelia had been my best friend and a talented witch. During my time as an amnesiac in Bon Temps, she had taken the form of a cat and stayed to keep me safe. We were like sisters. I couldn't imagine having grown up without her. That was over twenty years of friendship, of course we'd fought. Yet, I couldn't recall a single encounter where we'd so much as disagreed.

I wracked my brain over and over but came up with no single encounter. The truth was that in one way or another, my family had controlled Amelia's. She either never thought of nor resented it and neither did I. We just wanted to be together but...we never fought. That couldn't be normal for two little girls the same age. Amelia had always given me lead. I was just so glad to have her in my life, that I was always certain to make sure she was happy. God, that sounded pathetic…

Caspian was right in his assumption. Friends didn't come to blows or even threats over something like this.

"That has nothing to do with you. We are not friends," I replied.

"We were friends when you walked in the door this morning," He insisted. "It would have been my concern then."

He waited for me to deny it and I couldn't. I said nothing. It wasn't that I didn't want to lie; I couldn't because part of not being able to tell direct lies meant that the Fae could smell them. "Friends fight, they say and do things they don't mean inadvertently. They don't kill each other over them," His tone was wry. "They apologize and use food as bribe."

My scowl deepened. I knew that. I knew it applied to human friendships at least. When it came to Supernatural creatures the rules were entirely different, at least they should be. They didn't seem to be with Caspian. Then again they weren't that way with the vampires of Louisiana and Arkansas. Without a regime or politics to fight for power over, many were mainstreamed so easily that it was baffling. Why couldn't the same be true for this Lab-Rat faery?

"I wasn't going to kill you," I admitted. "Not really."

Yet he'd looked at me as if I would. That was what hurt.

"May I come in?" He asked. "Having my sexy backside out here is like begging for a grope."

I wanted to smile but didn't. I did nod for him to enter. He set up lunch and for a while we ate in silence. I felt awkward; he seemed calm albeit lacking his usual flare. "I'm sorry if I made you feel as though I was agreeing with Colman before. I wasn't."

"Why not? He's Fae. I'm vampire."

I knew he'd heard the stories. He should believe what he heard if he was smart and his intelligence wasn't one I'd questioned, yet he couldn't like me so I was confused.

"Colman has been watching over me before I was even born," he admitted. "He has kept me alive for three hundred years. My reflex is to adhere to his warning."

"Why do you have guards anyway?" I asked.

He wasn't of Fae royal blood. He was doing great work to help his people but still, nothing explained why he had guards that Niall himself used. Not to mention that one of those guards, Colman, was a royal Prince by way of marriage to Claudine.

His tone was dark, haunted and pained as he replied. It was like nothing I'd heard from him.

"I'm the one that got away."

I waited for him to explain and without prodding he did. "If I tell you this you will no longer be angry with me," He qualified.

I nodded. "I'm not mad at you," I admitted. He was right and looking up at him I knew I didn't have to admit it. He understood. "I'd still like to know…about the guards though."

"Do you know of Breandan?"

Again, I nodded. Breandan was Purist 'numero uno' and the self-appointed Water Fae Prince. At a close second and third were his pair of sycophants psycho water fae lieutenants, Neave and Lochlan. Their sadistic feats were such that many vampires were leery of them, if you can imagine such a thing. They were the Water Prince's favorite instruments of death and torture.

"He is my grandfather and I am half-human."

"Ah…shit," I hissed. "I'm so sorry."

I couldn't imagine it got worse than that. It was like being a mouse born into a house full of viciously bigoted cats but worse.

Caspian shrugged but he couldn't quite make it look nonchalant. "Yeah. Breandan's only son, Rogan, had a thing for torturing human women. It was all knife work but from what Niall could gather it excited him enough to arouse him sexually. If his victims could hold out long enough he would force himself on them. It never mattered because they died soon after he was through, but my mother refused death by his hands."

The one that got away, indeed. Before I could insult him by looking at him with pity, I dropped my eyes. Caspian's very existence was living, breathing proof that laying with and sympathizing with humans wasn't a disease of those of the Sky alone. The Water would want to kill him, so hard. Niall had probably offered him protection for just that very reason. Caspian was a walking Ace in the hole.

A traumatized human woman wouldn't have gotten far. How did Niall know to be there? Maybe the rumors of the Sky Prince being a soothsayer were true.

"It is good to see such bright young minds at work for their people." I heard the words before he became solid.

Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. I looked to the corner of the room and there stood the Sky Prince. He was in a three-piece suit much like the first one he'd worn when I'd encountered him. I wondered if he knew just how little it did to hide his otherworldliness. Were he in tights and tunic, it would make more sense. Passersby's would chalk him up as an extra for another 'Lord of The Rings' sequel. That wasn't to say he didn't look regal in it, he did. I just knew what to look for.

My reaction to him was controlled, as it always had to be. No one was a threat to me the way he was, especially now that I was going to take the gloves off and extort the hell out of him.

"I had you summoned hours ago, Niall." I said, without looking up. It was payback for his presumptuous entry comment.

Caspian looked between us and it was clear that he would give anything to be anywhere else right then. He said nothing. Good call. Stay out of this, though he looked at me with caution.

"I admire much about you, Princess," He said. "But mind your arrogance, lest you err for ill this day."

The Prince's words were punctuated with a sudden increased density in the air. It was as though he was a vacuum sucking all the air out while multiplying the gravity on me alone. My knees were quivering. I looked at him in reproach as if he were a child having a tantrum and I was the adult.

"I never learned to kneel." I taunted through my pain. "Breaking me is your only option and I fucking dare you."

I heard Caspian make a noise of horror just as Niall narrowed his eyes at me. I knew then that I'd gotten the best of The Prince. As he was choking the life out of me, it offered me an opening into a mind that was like nothing I'd ever imagined. I didn't take a chance to think on it. I couldn't. I pushed back, hard, utilizing the connection he'd established to give him the mental equivalent of a bitch slap.

I was gearing up for a fight but the Prince stopped, looking dazed, with a smile in full bloom. "That was interesting," He murmured running his hand over his chest. He waved a hand at Caspian who looked well on his way to heart attack. Then he faced me as if nothing had happened.

"Why do you think to propose new terms?"

"I now have an answer. I can save your people, repopulate them, but only if you give me the disease that they are most vulnerable to."

Niall looked at me as if I was crazy. Then he looked at Caspian who looked awe struck.

"You think to use a live virus to seed adhesion," He whispered.

"Nothing gets into the body easier."

We fell into a voluble that I was sure very few people could follow. It was full of technicalities of the proposed idea. It didn't surprise me that Caspian had thought of it but had no idea how to proceed with it. As we talked, Niall watched as if it were a tennis match.

"Can this be done if I give her what she asks?" Niall finally interrupted.

"In theory," Caspian said. "I understand what she intends to do but I cannot even begin to fathom how." He was staring at me like I was a genius which I kinda was.

Niall seemed to debate the matter. I'm not what helped him make his decision. It was probably the wicked grin on my face that told him that not only could I deliver. I would also fleece the hell out of him.

Niall turned to Caspian in question. Who nodded with his eyes still wide.

The Prince inclined his head to me in a show not of submission but respect. "Name your terms, Princess."

Considering all the things I could have asked for, my new terms were pretty simple. First, all of my blood would be forever safe from the Fae. Niall countered that it would cover blood but not the loss of life. I was okay with that. In the event I found a faery I needed to punch in the face at some point in my eternity, it was covered. Once I'd gotten the most important things out of the way, I proceeded to shake down the Prince of the Sky Fae. I negotiated a pay raise and an obnoxious bonus with the first birth and every one thereafter. When each child matured into adulthood, I got another bonus. Just for shits and giggles, I asked for a new work car. Okay, so maybe I hadn't made things that simple.

I had to enter a pact with Niall that forbade me from speaking of the weaknesses of his people. It prevented me from repeating it to another soul. I would drop dead before I got it all out. I did it for his peace of mind and because telling him he could trust me would be as effective as reminding him I had fangs.

The disease that the Fae were susceptible to was Streptococcal pharyngitis or as it is commonly known, strep throat. Go figure. When faeries contracted it, it allowed them to lie. It didn't seem like much of an ailment. For a species genetically incapable of telling lies, it was a death sentence because lies were seductive; forbidden fruit.

More often than not an infected faery gave into temptation, thus drowning their 'spark.' That was what they called the magic they carried within them. A faery's 'spark' was what made them what they were, but it was still more than that. It was their very soul and when they corroded, it wasn't only their body that died.

Getting live cultures wouldn't be hard. I also found it beyond fascinating that pathogens which didn't harm humans were fatal to their Supernatural counterparts. Nature always had a way to even the scales, I supposed.

Caspian tried to get me to share everything I knew, but I didn't even know it myself, though now that I had what I needed it wouldn't be long. I was excited when I returned to my room at the end of the day. Naturally there was one person I wanted to share it with. I called Eric's cell but he didn't answer. I called the house. The instant the call connected I knew it wasn't Eric on the other line.

"Eric is unavailable," Alexei said.

"Do you know where he is?" I asked calmly though I felt anything but.

"With The Master."

I stared into nothingness as a twisted mix of anger and fear rendered me speechless and immobile.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing. I truly appreciate the continued love and support. I honestly didn't mean to make anyone feel guilty for not reviewing. I was agreeing with reader that mirrored what I felt.

Another reader brought up an excellent point. Gumdrop21 says, "...perhaps it's me but this Eric appears more vulnerable and not as strong? Not sure why I feel this way..."

One of the things I love most about this version of E&S is that they are both formidable and direct. Give them, a coop to quash, a horde of vampires to fight and they will do it with little effort. Give them something emotionally complex and watch them trip and fall. If you recall from the first installment, it took them a long time to find their way.

I have always been doubly fascinated by what strong characters do when they're in a place where their strength does them no good. If you have inlaws you know how delicate it can be if you don't get along with them. Your spouse gets stuck in the middle and that is where Eric is. Sookie is his wife; his mate. He loves her. Ocella is his Maker and even in the books he was loyal to that bastard to the bitter, bitter end.

I hope that offered some insight into my head as I was developing this. If anyone has any point in the story they want to discuss just let me know!

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><p>"Sookie?" Eric called.<p>

I stupidly looked toward the door.

"Sookie?"

It was then that I noticed the phone in my grasp. It was dented and the markings matched my fingerprints perfectly.

"Hey," I greeted in a thick voice.

"What happened?" he asked. I don't know why but his concerned tone made the fear go away. "Are you alright?"

I cleared my throat. "Nothing, I'm fine. You?"

Ocella was his Maker. He could make him do anything, but I knew from experience that most Makers used edicts to protect, not dominate free will. It was actually frowned upon. Something in me said that Ocella didn't care. He not only liked to abuse, he enjoyed it. When he made Eric do something he didn't want to… Already I was thinking about how long it would take me to get back home. It wouldn't take much to find Preston or Colman. If I had to smack Caspian I would.

"Yes, but you don't call this early and you seldom call the house." He explained.

I pulled in a deep breath to wash away the last of my immediate overreaction. I called because I had good news I wanted to share, but now that his vampire kin was in town and, apparently in our house, it didn't quite seem like the time to share it. I would tell him when I got home. With any luck they'd be long gone by then. They had stopped in Louisiana on their way to wherever and were now heading back.

My hopes were dwindling. I checked in with Eric every day until I was set to return home and Ocella was still there. Once he answered Eric's cell and told me that he was busy with Alexei. Then he hung up. After that I knew what kind of game I'd been initiated into. He knew what I was most afraid of, what I hadn't even admitted to myself. He wouldn't need to actually do it; just his knowledge that I was afraid of it gave him enough power to torment me.

On one hand it laid my fear of Ocella abusing his power over Eric to rest, on the other it confirmed what I knew. I'd been raised to know my weaknesses. Mine was my temper. My father did all he could but not even twenty years of training could liberate me of the vice. These were the facts; Ocella didn't like me and I had no idea why. I disliked him as well, maybe even more than a little, but a stupid and impractical part of me wanted him to approve of me, even silently; if only for Eric's sake. Ocella wanted to prove to Eric that I was a weakling. I refused to give him the satisfaction.

I also knew that if I didn't get my head together before I got home, Eric would be smack dab in the middle of any quarrel we might have. I would never want that for my husband. I'd been there; maybe not in the same capacity, but I knew what it was like. Ocella wouldn't stay forever. I could endure, he would leave, and Eric would be happy. For that matter, so would I.

I was packing to return home and, despite me avoiding him like the plague, Caspian popped into my room.

"Cas, I'm not going to tell you again," I warned. "I don't have anything yet. Get lost."

"What's up your ass?" he retorted. "Or are you so short because of what isn't?"

I glared at him. "I am going to assume that wasn't a real question."

"Kinda was…but no response needed. I can draw my own conclusions come Monday morning when you're more personable again."

I growled at him. Just as my fangs were going to extend I clenched my teeth. The menace rolling off me though, I couldn't hide.

"Bad vampire!" He scolded. "I'm friend, not food."

"Hardy-fucking-Har!" I snapped.

It was sarcasm, but he was right. I was acting like a hungry vampire. I scrubbed both hands over my weary face. I was so tired, worried, and uncertain about what I might find when I got home. Since learning that Ocella was in Shreveport and in our home, I'd slept worse than usual. That meant instead of six hours of sleep, I was barely clocking in four. I spent all my waking hours worrying and missing the man I was worried about.

I should be looking forward to going home but I wasn't. Deep down, I knew I was dragging my feet. My head was trying to think of ways to delay my homecoming. Maybe if I stayed one more day, Ocella would be gone by then? My heart and body was on a schedule and both were aching to see Eric no matter whom or what was around. Neither parts of me gave a shit what my mind had to say.

Caspian looked concerned instead of curious. For someone who simply had to know and understand everything that was saying something.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

It crossed my mind for an instant to tell him what was troubling me. I wanted to tell him. I really was going to, but then I inhaled a breath and caught his sweet scent. I clammed up. It wasn't because I knew I couldn't fully trust him. Mostly I didn't open up because his scent didn't match what I had been raised to associated with trust. Caspian's scent was heavy and syrupy. I was used to dry and light.

"Nah," I said with a worn smile. "Thanks for the offer though. I just need to get home. I miss my husband."

I may not be sure about anything else but that last sentence had been the kind of complete truth that made one feel whole. It lasted, and for a little while as my body dissipated into the ether during transport I was excited. Then I felt my feet touch the ground. I could hear the snarls before my senses registered anything else.

The hold Preston had on me grew painful as he too registered it. That was all I felt while he pulled us away. I found myself in a little house. Colman was there, and so was Claudine as well as a few other faeries I didn't know. The minute my head stopped spinning, I lost it. I yoked Preston up by his neck, using my hold to bring him down to my eye level.

"How dare you?" I growled. "Take me back, now!"

From what I'd seen of things back home, there had been some kind of fight. He had no right to pull me from it, especially when it had to do with my husband, at least that was what I thought. I had caught the scent of blood but it wasn't Eric's. I hadn't even seen his face but that didn't matter. Preston picked me and dropped me off at the same place. The scene of whatever that conflict was had been the farm house.

"No," he said. His coal black eyes didn't hold defiance, they were resolute. "No one here will. The prolongation of our species depends on you. If you kill me, I will gladly die to safeguard the cause."

I looked around and not a single soul moved. I flashed fang and squeezed his neck until his muscles creaked. Nothing changed. No one moved to help him, not even Colman. I dropped him because he was useless to me as he was now, he would be more so dead. I knew it but I was ready to go off into a rage the likes of which these Fae had never seen.

"Give me the room." My voice was less than a whisper but the message was received. Between one breath and the next the room emptied.

_'Think, don't feel.'_ I told myself. _'Think, don't feel.'_

Eric was a thousand-year-old vampire who was a warrior before his change. He was telekinetic. There was little that he couldn't handle even without his clout as a sheriff. Even if something came up, Pam was there. As much as it rankled, so was his Maker; between all three of them there was more than three thousand years of fighting skill and power.

What if Ocella had been the cause of what I'd heard? Not likely. Ocella wouldn't need to fight Eric to subdue him or cause him harm. I took a deep breath. If there was a fight, and I knew that there had been, he would be of use to Eric. My fear and dislike was making me demonize him, not that he needed the help.

My countdown from ten thousand was interrupted by Caspian. While I had rationalized all the ways Eric would be okay, I was sick with worry. Counting wasn't about controlling my temper; it was to keep my mind busy so my heart wouldn't choke me with concern.

"They said you were going to kill Preston," He said.

"I thought about it," I admitted. "Did they send you here to try to make me feel guilty about it?"

He shook his head and plopped down beside me, looking miserable. "No, I got pulled from the lab as a precaution."

That explained why he was still in his lab coat. Damn. I'd been so worked up that I hadn't even contemplated that angle. Working for Niall would garner me attention. What if it got me attention from Breandan? What if that was what Eric was up against as I whiled away in some safe house? I refused. I needed answers or I really would lose it. I walked out of the room with Caspian trailing after me. The first person I saw was Claudine. She was dressed in what I now assumed were Sky Fae uniforms. Seeing her again brought me up short but as with all the things I felt about hurting her, I pushed it away because it wasn't the time.

"Send scouts to my house," I said.

"If I comply, you will remain here until it is safe and you will keep your hands, legs, and all other dangerous features of your body to yourself," Her tone was scathing.

I nodded. "I want updates every hour on the hour and come what may, the sun will not find me here. Got it?"

Her face broke into a smile that was by her nature utterly beguiling, but given our history it was out of place. "If I wasn't afraid of your father I might show you why ordering about the Captain of the Sky Guardians is so dangerous."

Something told me that she didn't mean my adoptive vampire father. I didn't know why she would be afraid of Fintan though. She didn't hang around for me to ask. She took two steps to the left and vanished in a shimmer of golden light. Exhaustion was catching up to me, but it wasn't physical or mental. It was emotional.

I'd been worrying all week about Ocella abusing his power over Eric but I hadn't contemplated that anything else could be a threat to him while he was in Louisiana. I truly never worried about him with the state being a republic. Now I was living that reality, images of Eric fighting Lochlan and Neave weren't the beginning. More than once I saw him bound and helpless as they tortured him. I knew that it wasn't the case but…

"I'm sorry that you're having a shit day," Caspian said. "Crash, I'll wake you when I hear something."

He didn't touch me, but he was close enough that I felt the heat from him. When I looked up he wasn't wearing his usual smile. He looked like I felt, that he would rather be anywhere.

"Where are we anyway?"

"The Everglades, a few miles off the National Park," He replied.

"How many faeries are here?" I asked.

There had to be a great many. I couldn't even distinguish the mental signatures. When I tried all I got was one never-ending blur. The scent was heavy, so much so that I had no idea where one faery ended and another began.

"A lot." He replied.

"We should talk to all the females present," I said. While I was stuck here, I might as well work.

I spun on my heel to leave but Caspian placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you can work?"

"Yeah."

No, I wasn't but if I didn't, I would lose my shit before Claudine was due for her next check in. I couldn't afford that. I needed to work to replace the solace that counting usually brought me. I walked back into the room and took a seat to wait for news or something to fill the silence. The Fae females came first. It was no surprise but the disappointment was potent all the same.

Total there were fifteen women. Some were dressed in modern clothes while some looked like the picture of the fairy folk of lore. I didn't have much experience with them and legend filled in the gap. The reality was that not all faeries were fair. I saw some that were tanned, tall, and short. They were beautiful, but not like Claudine.

I saw a female that was sexy, so much so I wouldn't allow her near my husband's shadow. There were some that were pretty. Others had an intense kind of beauty from which any normal human would shy away. It was too symmetrical. Then there were those that were just set apart by the glow of their best features alone. I watched them covertly as Caspian made introductions and explained the reason they were there.

"Who is the eldest?" I asked.

A platinum blonde that was of the most intense beauty category raised her hand. "It is I, Rhian."

"Youngest?" I wondered.

A dark-haired female raised her hand. I saw her hair but she wouldn't offer her eyes. She didn't offer a name either. It was obvious she didn't want to be here. I wasn't sure if it was because she was shy or because I smelled like vampire. Then I had to wonder why I cared. I was just here to do a job. What did it matter if she or any other one of them was afraid of me? They should be.

"For the experim…"

"What my colleague wishes to understand is the physical sensations you under go during your cycles," Caspian interrupted. "Anything you can offer."

I knew by his gentle voice and soft smile that his interruption hadn't been inadvertent. I was coming off as too clinical and cold. I shut my mouth and tried to look as non-threatening as possible.

"Then she will give us the secret to fertility?" The voluptuous-looking female asked.

"That is the goal, yes." I told them.

I had their attention and gave them mine because it diverted me from thoughts of my husband. I first separated the women by those who had gone through the cycle before. All of them had, even though their ages varied from fifty to four hundred chronologically. I then separated that group by those who had been pregnant at least once. The numbers were not at all favorable to the Fae. I was only left with three, three out of fifteen. Of that three only one of them had actually given birth. If I thought to wonder why a bunch of female faeries would gather to meet a stranger who reeked of vampire I had my answer, pure and absolute desperation.

A half hour passed. I was tense throughout every second of it, and then Claudine joined the group discussion. Before she popped herself out of her uniform she gave me an easy nod that told me everything was good. My tension dissipated somewhat and I felt my center return for first time since all of this started. I had been scaring myself for no good reason. Hell, for all I knew Eric had a few vampires over to play football.

"To sum up what I think I understand conception lies entirely within the females." I got a collective nod. "It is only possible during her cycle."

The cycle as I learned lasted two days or two and a half if they were lucky. There was some talk that if the female was successful in conceiving, it ended early, but I had nothing to measure that against.

"During said cycle there is an overwhelming sexual desire, accompanied by an increase in power?"

"Not exactly an increase," Claudine finally said. "Even before it starts we begin to feel closer to our spark. It allows power to flow easier and that accounts for why we feel more powerful."

Everyone nodded. "Okay," I said rising to my feet. I smiled politely or at least tried to. I wasn't used to having to reassure people. "You have all been very helpful. I think I have everything I need for now. Thank you for your time."

Claudine shook her head with a soft laugh that I felt was directed at me. I ignored her because I would hate to punch her in the face again.

"When will we hear more?" A woman whom I heard called Anaïs asked. It was the first she'd spoken or looked up from her place in the back of the group.

"As soon as we know more," Caspian said. "But please trust that we are doing all that we can."

He smiled and escorted them out of the room. Claudine hung back. She was slouched in her seat and somehow that did nothing to take away from her regal beauty.

"When I arrived, your husband was attempting to restrain a child," She began. "There were two other vampires who had been wounded; one was a female, blonde and lithe in frame, and the other was a male with scars across his face. There was also a dead human."

Eric was restraining Alexei. Pam and Ocella had been wounded. "How did the human die?" I asked.

"By the same knife that injured the two vampires would be my guess," She rose to her feet as Caspian entered the room. "You shouldn't let her do the talking. She makes cold iron sound warm."

She had been laughing at me but I didn't give her the satisfaction. My scowl, however, was in full effect. She was still grinning as she vanished.

"Your people skills do need some work," Caspian admitted.

I could give a shit about that right now. I needed to get home. From the information Claudine had given me, I had a good idea what had happened. I just needed make sure Eric was alright. It wasn't the first time I'd wished we were able to form a blood bond. Being mated was rooted in the magic that bound vampires, not just the vampire themselves. It somehow prevented the bonding of a mate no matter how many times blood was exchanged.

"I'll give you a lift," he said.

The trip was instantaneous. I was back at the farm house but it was empty. The scene had been cleaned, thoroughly. Leaves, pebbles, and even dirt that may have been disturbed during the fight had been set to rights. There was no blood to be seen or even faint traces to be scented. The scent of death wasn't perceptible though I knew someone had died.

I said goodbye to Caspian. After dropping my bags off inside I got in the car and headed for Shreveport. Eric was in Fangtasia alone. Pam was absent and, thankfully, so was Ocella. It made me wonder what happened to Alexei. Seeing my husband's face had this power to make the world feel right no matter what was wrong. When he saw me he smiled. My smile. I pulled into his lap and into his arms when I reached him.

"You're late," he said after he kissed me senseless.

"Something came up."

His eyes lost their playfulness as he nodded. "Same here."

I was exhausted but sleeping on the couch in Eric's office was the best sleep I'd had all week. When the bar closed, he carried me to his car and drove to Bon Temps. In my sleep-addled mind, I understood that we were going there because Ocella and Alexei were in our house in Shreveport. I didn't care where I was just as long as I was with him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

I tried to keep the disgust from my face as Eric filled me on what happened the night before. It hadn't been my imagination; Alexei really was out of his mind. His break with his mind was so severe that he was immune to edicts. When he had 'episodes', they were violent and someone always died. It had reached the point where he couldn't be left alone. That was what happened last night. The three of them had been at the house in Shreveport. Eric had gone to reach in the fridge for a blood and when he looked up Alexei was gone, and so was one of my kitchen knives. He had run off.

According to Eric, it had been getting worse. That was why Ocella had stopped here. He thought somehow being near more of his blood would help heal Alexei. Eric doubted that and so did I. This wasn't a slight depression, his mind was broken and quality time with 'big bro' wasn't going to mend it.

"He is a visitor that killed," I pointed out. "If it gets out, staying won't be an option for either of them."

Eric gave me a frown that said I was too eager about that and I didn't try to hide it. We both knew the Laws that had been established by the Republic. Indira was the Area Representative. She had to report kills and there was a vote on if the vampire, guest or not, would be exiled. Since Alexei was crazy, that was a no brainer. It also hadn't escaped my notice that the only reason Ocella and Alexei hadn't been fully vetted was because they entered on Eric's name. It was as good as gold in these parts.

"He is my Maker," Eric said. "That title means more than you can ever understand."

Just knowing that he didn't expect me to understand made me desperate to do so. It wasn't the first time in my life that I struggled to grasp a concept so intangible but yet so powerful and inexplicable. I wondered about it all the time, I even envied it, but Eric was right. I grew up the only human, live child of a vampire King. I still couldn't fully comprehend it.

_Zee was the irresponsible one but once it nearly got him killed. I would never forget it because it was the only time I ever saw a King cry. I was nine and in bed with my dad like always. Then he woke up looking as though half his heart was being ripped from him by force. My father whispered Zee's name over and over as bloody tears filled his eyes. Before they fell, I sat up and wiped them away, licking the proof off my fingers. _

_"__No," I told him. Young as I was, I infused my voice with all the authority he'd instilled in me. "You are a King. You cannot cry no matter your pain." _

_He was a King; he was my King. Unlike a princess, he had no outlet for his tears, not even in the rain. Tears were shameful and, come what may, I would spare him that. The tears stopped, but he held me so tight against him that it hurt. _

_That night, Sai raced space and time to save Zee from a pissed off daemon lover that would have bled him dry. I didn't know what happened to her but the event made me curious. How had my father known? I knew I wasn't vampire but would he feel me if I was in danger? I asked him the question a few days later. He told me the truth like he always did. _

_"__I do everything in my power to keep you safe."_

_"__Yes but nothing is a hundred percent," I countered. "Would you feel it?"_

_"__No. You are not vampire," He'd told me. "So the bonds that bind you to me are of my heart and in my blood but not rooted to my nature. Where your brothers are concerned, it is opposite. I took their lives so I could bind them to my undead one, as my creator did to me. Can you understand that?"_

_"__I'm different," I surmised. "I don't want to be…I want to be a part of you too." _

_He hadn't had to pick me up in a while. Instead he dropped down to my eye level and held my face in his hands. "You will be," He kissed my nose. "Just not right now," _

_"__Then, when?" I asked. _

_"__When you are ready."_

_I frowned. That was just too open-ended a response for me. "When will that be precisely?" _

_He shrugged. "Yo no se." _

_Telling me he didn't know was also not acceptable. "I will accept your best guess then." _

_He laughed as he began walking away. "When I say so, for now you will stay with Lysander. He was hurt badly and I need you to make him feed as he should. Can you do that for me, mija?" _

_I sniffed at him as if he had insulted me. Everyone knew that I liked Zee the best. If that wasn't enough to get him to comply, he owed me a ton of favors. "Of course, Daddy." _

_"__Good girl," Then he left with Nim and Sai leaving me to tend to Zee. _

No, I didn't know what it felt like but I knew the value. I'd envied all my brothers that one thing. I knew the first years after the turn fortified the bond. I knew it logically, but when it came to Eric I was one hundred percent emotion. There was no place for logic. My thoughts were pulling me all over when I noticed a glazed look fall over Eric's face. It lasted only a second. It was enough to tell me that he was going to leave. It wasn't just that, he was being summoned. I grit my teeth against the inexplicable fury I felt at that.

"I'll come with you."

"No." He said firmly.

If only on principal alone, I had to argue. He knew better than to think he could bark orders at me. He knew it too, because he raised his hand in a show of submission.

"Forgive me, Love."

Of course he was already forgiven. It wasn't until he gathered me in his arms did I feel just how on edge he was.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

So what if I was fishing for excuses? I didn't need anything major. I just needed a reason that was semi-defensible, and then I would give into my building hostility toward Ocella.

Eric smiled. It was my smile, but the tension on his face couldn't be ignored. "No," He told me. "I am listening for trouble after what happened yesterday. I want to be able to contain any eventuality."

That was a very Eric answer. While he was no longer a sheriff, my husband still had the mindset. My hold on him eased somewhat. Still, a part of me, the irrational, emotional part, wanted him to be able to tune into me as deeply as he was able to do with his kin. I could envy all I wanted but it wasn't going to change anything. I asked a more important question.

"Will you be okay?"

He nodded. "Ocella would embrace the veil if it meant saving me. The amount of respect, and prestige it gives him isn't something he can live without. It is actually the only reason why he can continue to live the way he does."

The way Ocella lived was the opposite of mainstreaming. No wonder he could cross in and out of states and even countries without invitation but yet suffered no consequence. He was a vampire gypsy and he was using Eric's name and accomplishments in the vampire world to do it. If my opinion of that boy loving pig could get any lower, it would have.

Eric cupped my face. "I know that you don't care for him, nor do I expect you to. I also know very well that he is trying to antagonize you."

I looked at him in question. If he had known why hadn't he done anything?

"Ocella is petty. I do not think that will ever change." He continued. "He feels threatened by my attachment to you. Ignore his antics, I am."

Oh. I've been trying to do just that or did he not notice? I also didn't know for just how long I could ignore him.

"I'm supposed to let him walk all over me?"

Eric snorted a laugh. "As if you were capable of such a thing, but please keep it light."

He knew me too well. "I can definitely do that." Now that we had that out of the way I felt better.

"Ride with me to get your car. I want you to tell me about work."

I punched him playfully. "You just want to laugh at me again."

He was grinning as he took my hand and led me out of the house.

Ocella was already at Fangtasia when Eric and I arrived. He had two fangbangers in the office. They were young. In fact, I was sure that they had fake ID's. There was no way they were twenty-one years of age. The boy was a no brainer. The girl was a shocker. When I got a better look at her, it made more sense. She was a younger, dumber, skinnier version of me. I saw in her mind that it gave her confidence. All it did was risk her life.

"I found a proper meal for you," Ocella said, running his hand over the girl's arm. "Unlike what you have grown used to, she hasn't an ounce of excess."

It took me longer than it should to realize that I'd just been called fat! It wasn't just that, he was inferring that I was old news. The Roman was playing with his life. I forgot that I was allowed to go tit for tat. I saw red. I wanted to break his face and that of the little skank who was eyeing my husband.

"Thank you," Eric said coolly. "I will seek her out when I get hungry enough." Which was going to be never, I knew.

"At the moment, I need to work."

It was a dismissal to his Maker and an out for me. Ocella left with Alexei in tow. I watched them go, but I couldn't believe that I had missed a chance to hit back. I was shocked that he flagrantly insulted me in front of Eric. Never mind that I was standing right there. I knew the game plan was to ignore Ocella's antics. Eric would know best what was effective, but I just felt a certain way about it. I was even more angrier that I hadn't said a thing.

He reached for me and I shook my head. "We just talked about this…"

I caught the scent and heard the nervous gait of Bruce, the accountant, as he approached. "We did," I told him.

I left. I wasn't fit to be around anyone. For a long while I drove around aimlessly. Then I found myself out in front of Merlotte's. I'd been meaning to check on Sam anyway. It was a greater incentive that this was one place that I knew I had a zero chance of running into Ocella. Not only was Merlotte's heavy with the scent of a shifter, it was frequented by a local pack of werepanthers from Hot Shot.

To my shock some people were actually happy to see me! Well, that wasn't entirely true. They were relieved that Eric hadn't murdered me. That was something. Even Andy was glad I wasn't dead! It was something indeed. I nursed a drink and played a game of pool with Terry. When the night began to die down, I went to the bar and gave Sam a hand.

"You know we're hiring if you need a job," He said. "My best waitress just up and quit on me."

I laughed. "Old habits I guess," I said, continuing to clean the counter. "Plus I've been drinking for free all night." I even had a fried chicken dinner basket. It was the newest addition to the growing menu at Merlotte's and it took every shred of decorum I possessed not to lick my plate, it was that good. I told him so.

"That's what draws folks since SugarFoot's opened up."

I'd heard of the place in Monroe. It was flashy and cheap. They had wings and beer much like Merlotte's but they also had things such as 'Wet t-shirt' contests, 'All you can eat Wing Wednesdays,' and enough televisions to cover every game on any given night. Sam didn't want to compete. I was happy that he found different avenues as to stay afloat. In lieu of us talking about the menu I found that he wanted the place to become more restaurant than bar. He just didn't have the money to expand the kitchen and remodel the inside.

"I could loan it to you," I offered.

He had his mouth ready to refuse, but I stopped him. Sheesh! I had no idea what it was with penises that made them not want to take money from vaginas.

"I said loan, not hand out. We could have something drawn up. Plus I already know an accountant who would help you make sure your numbers made sense. You could also use Alcide. He's working on the remodel at Fangtasia and it's going really well."

"I know you work too, but you can't just loan me or anyone else fifteen thousand without asking your husband." He said. "That's the kind of thing you two should talk over."

It might be but so was the subject of his Maker coming to invade our space. I pushed the bitchy thought aside. I knew that it was outside of Eric's control. I didn't fault my husband that. What was bothering me was the fact that Ocella was getting under my skin and I knew he shouldn't. Worst of all, I felt as though Eric ignoring Ocella's antics was Eric doing nothing to defend me. I knew that wasn't the case but it was just how I felt.

"He knows me and he trusts my judgment," I told Sam. Saying those words filled me with pride because it was the truth. "He knows that I would help a friend."

I wrote Sam a check and left. I felt so much better as I began the drive to Shreveport. For the first time in ages the farm house seemed the better bet but I missed Eric. I hated that I'd left angry. With his Maker around, I needed to let him know more than ever that I was on his side no matter what. After what I'd done, what I cost him, he deserved more from me. He deserved everything, absolute trust no matter my emotions and blind faith.

I had taken everything from Eric; money, power and his Queen. I was the reason why he and the vampires in the former Area 5 had been subject to Victor Madden's iron fist. Not once did I feel as if he longed to have those things back. Not once did I feel as if he resented me. It only fortified my urge to do anything I could to even the scales. If it meant being nice or a doormat to his Maker then so be it.

When I got home, I was expecting to have to swallow, grin, and bear more bullshit from Ocella. I parked on the street and used the front door. I walked to the door not sure what I would find once inside our home. There was no one else there. Eric was waiting for me, half naked. The instant the door opened I knew that it was one of those nights. He was insatiable and would be more than a little rough. I couldn't fight him. I didn't want to. I gave in to him.

Sex made me feel closer to him than I did my own beating heart. With the events of the week I needed it. I needed him. Having him touch me was just as thrilling as the first time. I couldn't hide how good he made me feel. There was no holding back for me when he made me cum. I was lost when he came in me with his fangs buried in my neck. The tangled mixture of pleasure and pain was almost too much for me to handle. I clung to him as my body shuddered in ecstasy while receiving his seed.

I was expecting them to be gone, but Sunday night found Ocella and Alexei here. I was eager to leave, not my husband, but his kin, Pam included. I thought she was reacting to them even more poorly than I was. I was yet to see her without an empty look or a frown. In the past few days I'd hit Ocella back, albeit lightly, as Eric had instructed. He hadn't been expecting it, so he had no comebacks but I found he didn't need any. Eric stepped in. I knew my husband was trying to come off as defending of his Maker to save face, but deep down I felt rubbed the wrong way about it. My head and my heart continued to war, and I was glad to leave the confusion behind. When Preston came for me, I was waiting alone at the farm house. It was a first, I felt it in my heart and saw it by the relief on his face.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A thousand apologies. I am hitting a few snags but say it with me now...monster posting. Also if you or anyone you know prefers to follow on Word Press, you get a double apology. My page is under construction and the very gracious Zofya who is my webmaster will get the chapters up there as soon as she is able. I just don't trust myself to touch anything because I often such difficulties with it. Until then please be patient. Thank you! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

I completed the serum for Eric as the timer on the magnetic stirrer beeped, my mind clicked that I couldn't take it home with me. It wasn't so much that I couldn't, I knew I didn't want the serum anywhere near Ocella. I shelved it. With that done I sat at my desk with my eyes closed and tried to bridge the gaps in the Genesis project.

I found another piece of the puzzle. It sent me in search of Caspian. Now that I thought about it, it was weird that he hadn't been by to bug me at all today. Usually he tried to get me to write down anything I'd come up with the Genesis project. I hadn't seen him all day.

I didn't find Caspian when I went in search of him. When I went to his office, I found Preston lurking. I didn't bother to knock. He caught my approach if his weapons were any indication.

"You need something?" he asked.

"Caspian," Obviously. I wouldn't have come to his office in search of the Easter Bunny.

"He is not available," He said.

"I need him so make him available, please," I smiled politely. My people skills needed work and I was really trying.

After a brief deliberation Preston made his body glow. A second later, Colman appeared in full gear. I was starting to think that he had nothing else in his closet.

"She says she needs Caspian," Preston explained.

"Then she must go without him," Colman said, not really looking my way.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Neither faery present said a thing. "I can summon the Prince," I threatened. "Or I can forget what I have just discovered about saving the Fae."

Colman's lips pulled back to reveal a snarl that would bring many creatures to their knees. I looked bored. He looked over my shoulder to Preston. Whatever he saw brought down his hostility.

"Caspian cannot return to this place at present," Colman spat. He sounded angry but it didn't seem directed at me. "Lochlan and Neave have been scouted using the portals not far from here. I will escort you to him. You may resume your work there."

"I'm not going to relocate to whatever shit hole you have him hidden. Every single faery that does not want to face extinction needs him here in our base of operations."

His features melted as power rolled off him in waves. "Have you no care of what they will do to him!"

"They'll kill him, slowly would be my bet. If I don't get him back here, then all of you will putter out of existence," I said calmly. "I still get paid either way so..."

My words were true, cold as they were. It was more than that. I knew that wherever he was being hidden, Caspian would rather be here. Sightings of psychos or not, Caspian was invested, not just in his work but his life here. He wasn't just a scientist. He was a professor. He encouraged his students at every chance. He cared for his staff not just Chari and Isaiah. Lochlan and Neave would take his life if they caught him but they shouldn't get his life's work too.

"May I suggest we ask Caspian what he wants?" I ventured.

Colman looked hostile but there was nothing his hostility would do that could change his options. He vanished. I knew I would get what I asked for. It took the better part of the hour, but I waited in the office with a silent Preston for company.

There was something in his big round eyes that made me think that my faery colleague was shocked that he was seeing his office again. Colman was beside him but gone was his uniform. He was dressed like a frat boy. His clothes might have been on point, but his scowl and erect posture was a dead giveaway. So that was what I going to be dealing with. He would literally be shadowing Caspian. Perfect.

"I need to compare notes from the session with the females," I said.

Caspian didn't need to be told twice. We worked for a while, with mostly him talking, Colman scowling, and me listening. An hour later the same question that forced me to seek him out came to mind.

"Have you ever gotten high on any narcotic?"

My eyes were on him, so were Colman's for different reasons I would wager. "You want to copy the high of the cycle?" he asked.

I nodded. "Mother Nature is the best at what she does. You'll be doomed to fight her method or her madness. You can't copy it either."

Caspian frowned but then his face lit. "You imitate it but how do you even begin to adapt such a thing?"

I shrugged. "I think I got it but back to my question…"

Caspian had gotten contact information of a local dealer from one of his students. I know…horrible. That was how I found myself in some dive bar close to campus trying to buy drugs. Having never done anything of the sort, I let Caspian lead. Colman stood off with a scowl as if the very air in here disgusted him. Good!

Surveying the scene I found that the faeries were garnering attention for being attractive. No big surprise there, but something was making my hackles rise. I felt the hair on my neck rise. I scanned the crowd mentally; no one was thinking about me in great detail, at least details that weren't lewd. The only thing out of place was a hooded guy in the corner. He was wearing gloves, leather riding gloves but it was still odd given the heat. He was thinking of nothing but his drink so I went on about my business. We completed the transaction without incident so I wrote off the feeling as paranoia.

I was bridging the gap a little bit at a time. I was sure I could find answers faster through trial and error but faeries weren't like vampires. When I'd been developing the serum I'd experimented prematurely on my brothers because any harm I caused them wouldn't be permanent. I couldn't do that with the Fae. Nothing would go live until I was a thousand percent sure.

Going home was a bit nerve wrecking, and I hated that it was how I felt but I didn't know what I would be going home to. I'd checked in with Eric every night, but I always knew that he wasn't alone and was unable to speak freely. Missing him was a feeling I knew well. It wasn't easy but I could cope with it. It wasn't permanent.

This new hole that his Maker was building between us made me sick. On one hand, I knew what I had to do but I couldn't. I couldn't play the game where my life with my husband was concerned. It was ironic. Life at home with Eric was the one place that I thought I wouldn't need it; as it turned out it was where I needed it most.

Preston dropped me off in Bon Temps early. The sun was still high. I showered to wash away the smell of faery. I took care of some chores. Then close to dusk, I headed home to Shreveport.

The bullshit started as soon as I arrived. "I do not understand why you allow this Eric; there is much for her to be doing here," Ocella said.

"Like what?" I asked, walking into the house.

"If there is a place for you in this conversation is it not while I am speaking," he said.

"That's funny because there is no place for you here at all, and that doesn't seem to shut you up or help you find the door."

Ocella looked to Eric, who was looking at Alexei, who seemed to be following invisible patterns on the wall. We both watched as Eric led Alexei out of the house by the hand, leaving us alone in our animosity. I stood there with venom on my tongue waiting for Ocella to say anything else. With Eric gone he took the gloves off. I guess I wasn't the only one who had been trying to play nice, if you could call his behavior that.

"You will never be good enough for him. He will never be yours, not ever!" He spat.

His scarred face was twisted in a scowl that seemed permanently etched onto his features. I should cower, anyone would, but my animosity for him was so great that I couldn't even feign being intimidated. I was over wanting him to approve. Not only would it never happen, I no longer wanted it. I hated Ocella and he seemed to hate me.

"You make me sick," I said matter-of-factly. "Your disgusting face, your boy loving ways, your sad little attempts to remain relevant in an arena where you have no hope; it's gross and frankly, I am embarrassed for you. If that isn't enough you walk around with a misbegotten sense of worth because you changed a Tsar into a vampire. It is truly pathetic that you think owning the broken remains of what was once a king makes you any less of a peasant."

He flashed fang and I didn't even blink. I wanted him to attack me. I needed it. "Despite all that, I can show you respect, Ocella, but only if you respect me. If you can't, then I will do this with you as long as it takes for you to understand that I won't be your whipping post."

I waited but Ocella didn't attack. He left. My sense of victory didn't last long. Once his back was to me I knew I'd lost. Eric had told me to keep it light and with the first encounter I had done the opposite. It was true that Ocella had cut deep with his words but I shouldn't have let him get the best of me.

I was better than that, better than Ocella. It was more than that; Eric was counting on me to be. Now, we would go back and show that he was the victim. He had the added advantage of being Eric's Maker, therefore; he had that limitless loyalty that I didn't understand or possess, or at least that was what it felt like.

Eric came home but it was almost dawn. He kissed me but I knew he was angry. The next night was the monthly football game. I don't why I thought it would get me into his good graces, but I woke determined to play. Going to Bon Temps allowed me to practice. I was in good form. I had accepted the consequences. I was ready to show that. I returned home at first dark more than a little excited to tell Eric. My mood was such that I was easily able to ignore Alexei and Ocella, all I saw was him.

"Are you excited, Alexei?" Ocella asked. He was running his hands through the little boy's hair in that creepy fashion. "You can unleash your full power without care."

It was as though I'd been kicked in the gut. It was something so juvenile; it shouldn't have gotten to me. Yet it did. I knew how many vampires showed up to play. I knew which way they voted. Eric's team always played with a deficit. Either he or the other team would have picked me up. Now I was being replaced by Alexei. It would have been convenient to say that Ocella had planned this to get back at me, but not even Eric knew. I'd just been beaten out for the last seat.

"Something came up," I lied. "I need to get back."

Eric looked into my eyes. I knew that he knew I was lying. He didn't offer me an in, just another out. I smiled and looked gracious, but it took everything I had. He kissed me as he headed out to the game. When all the vampires were gone, I looked around my home and I wanted nothing more than to leave. A phone call to Caspian had me back in Florida two hours later. I was in my office. It was almost like being home. This space should feel like mine, but it didn't. There was no peace to be had from the silence.

I wasn't in a good mood, but I did have good news when I got to work. Caspian had conducted the trials using the marijuana we'd purchased. He'd measured a dose that was workable. It meant that I now had everything I needed. The first step to actually creating a substance was a very big drug deal, and from his notes it took quite a bit to get a faery high.

I was in a shitty mood but Caspian's enthusiasm was contagious, even to Colman. The ranger didn't know the specifics but he could feel that something huge was on the horizon, he could feel the excitement. I just hung around like a dark cloud of vampire misery. By the time we'd made our purchase from our friendly neighborhood drug dealer and returned to the lab, I was so tied in knots I could barely work.

"See if Chari and Isaiah will start stripping the THC with you," I said after an hour of staring blankly into space. "I'm heading out for a while."

Caspian stopped cataloging our supply and came over to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I did. I really did because I didn't have my best friend. "Yeah, but you wouldn't understand."

He nodded not denying it. "It is true that any life advice I have to offer comes from television."

That actually succeeded in making me smile. It was as sad as it was true. "I was actually thinking it is because you are not a vampire."

"Or married?"

I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought. "Or married," I agreed.

I got into the R8 that Niall had purchased. Since I'd requested it, this was the first that I was putting it to use. I knew that speed that was beyond me was what I needed and my rental couldn't manage it. I called Eric as I drove around at breakneck speeds through the night. He didn't answer. I got his voicemail. That was better than hearing Alexei or Ocella's voice. The games should have wrapped up and he was either at Fangtasia or on his way there.

"Hi," I said feeling awkward. I took in deep breath. "I hate this, Eric. I'm not sure what to think or feel but I don't care. I'm sorry. I…I just don't want to be mad at you anymore and I don't want you to be mad at me either. I love you. Call me when you can."

I hung up, and while I felt better after leaving the message, I was still wound too tight for human company. I continued driving. This car was fast and I concentrated on nothing but the road for the next hour. The road wasn't my path but my outlet. I used it. I found myself back around campus. It figured really. Upset as I was, I was still a control freak. I couldn't let the foundation of my greatest accomplishment go unmanaged.

When I got close to campus I decided to go on foot as to find a place to eat. There were more than a few bars and eateries to choose from. At this time of night navigating the streets was a bit tricky even with super reflexes. The strip was filled with people trying to get drunk and those who were already there.

A few minutes later, I got sick of being bumped into by designated drivers trying to round up groups of their friends. I just started dipping into the minds of people as I went so they were parting for me as I walked on. It was abuse of my ability but it was only a matter of time before someone hurled on me.

I didn't hear the ring but I felt my phone vibrate in my jeans. I sprinted to a quiet corner of the square assuming Eric was returning my call.

"Hi sweetheart," I greeted.

"…Caspian."

"Oh," I replied, not bothering to mask my disappointment.

"…is missing." Was all I heard.

"What was that?" I yelled back.

Seriously, no one told all these people that it was school night? It was crowded as all hell on the Strip. My best chance was to enter one of the venues and find a restroom. That was exactly what I did.

"You are in the square?" He asked.

"Yeah!" I yelled. "I'm in the square!"

I missed the first part of his reply."…on my way."

Then Caspian hung up before I could get a word in edgewise. What the hell? I was dialing him back when I heard the door to the restroom swing open. I waited but it didn't swing back. My senses were launched into high alert. In a public place, a restroom no less, my sense of smell was useless if not a complete hindrance, came footsteps and heart beats. There were too many of them and they were heavily booted, focused, and male.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

I was almost one hundred percent sure that they were human, but the only way to tell would be to enter their minds. If they weren't that would give me away. The other women screamed and were shoved out the door. I knew I was the target. I leapt onto the toilet and waited. On the upside, one of the other patrons would sound the alarm. Whoever these people were they wouldn't have much time.

The way they proceeded would tell me what they knew. The best case scenario, they would kick in each stall as if this was a movie, and then I could just pop out like a Jack in the Box with an axe to grind. Instead I got the opposite of best case. All I saw were black combat boots and black BDU's as they lined up in front of the stalls. They would spray and pray.

Fuck, they knew I was something other than human! I leapt up and braced myself as high off the ground as the stall doors and the tile walls would allow just as they opened fire. Bullets sent water, ceramic tile, and sunlight in every direction. Sunlight? They knew I was vampire so they came with ultraviolet weaponry. I looked at a shell under me and saw that it was solid silver.

As they sprayed the bathroom I heard mayhem beyond the walls of the restrooms. These weren't amateurs. They had waltzed in here confidently because they knew the police wouldn't come and if they did, they were sure they would be long gone. That was why they hadn't been afraid to harass a restroom full of women. It had to be why they hadn't bothered with silencers. Please be daemon mercenaries! If they were human, their tactics would suggest that they had clout that I no longer possessed.

"You said she was getting tipped off, that we had to nab her here!" A voice yelled. It was male and it was angry. It was accompanied by a door being kicked in. "Little problem, our mark ain't fucking here!"

"I saw her!" Another voice retorted.

This one was a female and she sounded more hostile than the first. Her words were accompanied by another stall door getting kicked in.

"Maybe she slipped out a window?" Another suggested.

I wish.

"Maybe you followed too closely," Another stall was kicked open. "Maybe she made you and messed with your mind."

No, this group was definitely not amateurs. There were ten people in standard military formation. That meant that the areas that been cleared weren't being watched as vigilantly. Two were guarding the door. The remaining eight were back to back. I was trying to calm my panic enough to get a better reading on them but I was too terrified to think straight. I was so sure they were human, but if I was wrong I'd be fucked; with no other aid in sight I couldn't risk it, so I waited.

"Fuck you, Lance!" the female replied. "You think I wouldn't know my seals have been broken?"

Seals? Obviously they were mental, but how was that possible? I didn't have time to think it through. I was in the middle stall. They were getting closer but with their arguing they were moving with less caution. Someone else cursed violently as something came in on an earpiece that was too fuzzy for me to hear.

"Locals are in route. We need to get gone, now."

I didn't let myself breathe a sigh of relief at that. There were only four stalls left but they abandoned them and began filing out. That was when my phone rang. It was Eric's ring tone. Somehow the theme song to Buffy the Vampire Slayer felt so right in this dire situation. It got me going. I had a husband to get back to. Before they could open fire I dropped down to the floor and took control of the two closest to me, or at least I tried.

I failed. Normally getting into a human mind was like walking through an open door. I tried to hijack their minds but nothing happened. The delay got me shot. I was no stranger to pain but this? Being shot at by automatic weapons at this range was pain in a class that was foreign to me. It hurt, a lot!

It hurt so much that my body didn't have the reflex to even force a scream. I made a choked, gargling sound as I dropped to the ground. Pain and confusion were right there with me. The comment the female had made now made sense. Their minds were somehow sealed. It sounded impossible but it was true. My gunshot wound was proof of that. This really was the day from hell; all I needed was my personal rain cloud.

How? I could force my way into the minds of vampires though I couldn't read them. How did they keep out my mental invasions? How did they know to guard against me? What the hell were they using to do it? I had no time or energy to think on it. They surrounded my bleeding body and confused mind with weapons still drawn.

"Bag her," the gruff male voice ordered.

Of all the things I had to do today, getting captured by a band of mercenaries was not one of them. The fact that they were human and immune to my defensive and offensive mental abilities was more reason. Instincts that I never before had to pay heed to screamed to the surface. No matter what my relationship was with my father, his teachings hadn't been for naught.

I forced my body to go still even with the scent of aggression and blood prickling at me. My fangs tingled and I wanted to pounce but everything in me knew it wouldn't save me. Knowing when to fight was more important than knowing how. I did nothing until I was sure I could win. I felt the breath of a human, and then I felt the weight of silver on my left wrist. I struck before he fastened the other cuff.

A vicious spin kick jostled the person off of me but I didn't let him fall. I grabbed the gun at his hip and fired it while using him as a shield and brought my back the wall. My hand was on his neck and I tried to enter his mind. Physical touch made thoughts louder. I could get something I might be able to use.

I hit a wall. If I tried to force it I would turn his mind to mush. That wasn't acceptable at the moment. I needed him to protect me. I didn't know how long that would last. By the stance of his people, they were thinking of offing him to get to me.

"I am immune to silver," I informed them.

The cuff was still hanging off my left wrist. I expected everyone to take the bait and glance down all at once. No such luck. Not only was this group trained, they had hunted together. They took turns verifying what I said and once they did they moved forward as a unit. I didn't back down.

"UV is useless, check my tan. Silver bullets hurt but not so much with my shield here,"

I was a predator and I was cornered. I would never be more dangerous. To make my point, I squeezed tighter on my hostage. His unit hesitated as he gasped for air. The lone female was shaking. It was slight, just her trigger finger, but it told me enough. He meant something to her. I focused my words on her, and my eyes on the man in charge.

"Go ahead, shoot. You'll only succeed in killing your friend and I promise you that before my wounds slow me down, two more of you will be dead," I said. "I don't want that and neither do you. Walk away."

I was trying to stall as I attempted to crawl gently under the mental defenses of my very literal human shield. It was like nothing I'd ever witnessed. It wasn't like the void of vampires, or the static and blurring of other supernatural creatures. I made contact with his mind but it was as if the door into it wasn't just closed it was sealed tight. If this situation wasn't so fucked I might actually take the time to be curious, such as it was I was scared.

"Light her up!" my shield choked out. His voice was panicked. I felt the tears from his face hit my arm. "She's getting in!"

I saw his thoughts seconds before they became words on his lips. It was all I needed. I wasn't faster than a speeding bullet but I was the fastest vampire I knew, my husband included. Pushing the man away from me, I was sure to kick him into his friend after I lifted a hawk style dagger from his thigh. I don't know if my human shield got shot as bullets started flying but, by the time I'd taken out two of his friends with his dagger, he was down. While they lay in a puddle of their own blood he seemed to be having some kind of seizure. I didn't think too much about that.

The people were moving faster than any human should. They had formed a tight circle with half sending gunfire in every direction. The other half was against the wall until the active first squad needed to reload. They had me pinned. I couldn't get to the door or make the gun in my hand matter. I looked to the ceiling and found my answer.

I shot out the fluorescent lights in a rapid burst. It was unlikely they had brought night vision gear. Then again, I was learning they were more than your average G.I washed-up Joe. Still if they did have goggles, they would have to pause to put them on. I only needed a few seconds. I had a full half minute as they scrambled. Their thoughts flooded to me. Whatever lock they had on their minds wavered in the dark as instinct and terror took hold. They knew I could see and they couldn't. It opened their mental pathways.

_'__Damn it!'_ Someone thought.

_'__Robbie, don't die. You can't!'_ The lone female thought. _'__Please don't leave me all alone.'_

_'__She could be right in front of me!'_

Unbeknownst to him, that was exactly where I was. I'd crawled my way into the small opening in the middle of their circle. I pulled the pins off all the grenades I could reach, and then I left the circle. My whole life I'd always been smallest. I'd always been the weakest, but I was the smartest and fastest.

"Fire in the hole, bitches!" I yelled from the furthest stall.

They didn't get a chance to reply. The grenades ignited. For a full minute it was high noon in the bathroom. That too was the opposite of worst case scenario. I was hoping to blow myself a way out of here. That didn't happen. The charge from five ultraviolet grenades going off at once stunned my would-be assailants. That was the good news.

The bad news, I was about to be arrested, brutally, was my guess. Police had arrived but they were gone. SWAT was coming into the restaurant. I had a sip of blood from someone that was already bleeding to heal my earlier injuries fully. I tossed my phone down a drain. Then I turned to await my date with the police. I raised my hands and waited.

When they swarmed I didn't resist. I'd gotten shot enough for one night. When one shouted for me to get on my knees, I replied in Latin, "I never learned."

I said the words over and over again, pretending not to speak English. It was kind of true. I was raised to stand on my feet, taking a knee was not in my vocabulary. Plus it would make my arrest easier. They wouldn't have an interpreter which meant they wouldn't interrogate me until they found one. Most likely it would come from the FBI. Then I would be as good as freed.

I was cuffed at my hands and ankles. As I was led out the back I saw Caspian in the shadows. He was with Preston and Colman. I knew they were looking to act but I shook my head and they fell back, Colman more reluctantly than the others. The drive to the station was quick enough with the siren going the whole way.

I was fingerprinted and photographed, you know, the usual 'Perp-walk' stuff. What wasn't normal was the quarantine. I was remanded to an interrogation room. With me were two guards and they had itchy trigger fingers. If that wasn't enough, the door was locked and I was chained to a steel-reinforced table that even as part-vampire I couldn't break with sheer force.

It was overkill but I wasn't worried. All the minds around me were human and their thoughts were clear. No one knew anything about me or the people who had attacked me. I was in jail but out of the ten who had come for me, most were headed to the morgue and a few to the ER.

As it stood I didn't have details. I was just getting my info the same time it hit the precinct. I was seated in an interrogation room and chained to a metal desk that was bolted down. Having nothing else to do I slept as comfortably as my bindings would allow. It was maybe four hours when I came awake to more news.

"She's got a sheet somewhere. I don't give a fuck what the systems says," a male voice barked. I knew from trotting through all the minds that he was the police commissioner.

"She's not coming up anywhere on anything. She's obviously foreign but she's got no passport. No tax records, driver's license, her prints aren't on file or anything. She's a goddamned ghost."

"I have a press conference in an hour and you want me to go and tell the world that Barbie's hotter sister is our suspect in that bloodbath, with nothing to back it up?"

I smiled to myself. If the police department was keeping this quiet then all the better. That was why my father had insisted I did so much service to this country when I was kid, not just that he made sure that nothing I did would compromise it. He was no patriot but he knew the importance of appearing patriotic to the people who mattered. Everywhere I went my prints and presence were always erased. It was just as the officer had said, I was a ghost. I didn't exist, not on their pay grade away.

"With all due respect—"

"Whatever it takes. Your captain is with Interpol. I'm going to the FED's liaison. You're with the Marshalls and INS. Janice and Griffin can get a team and call up every single precinct and backwater sheriff's office in the fucking nation, if not the world. I want her run through every system we have access to. Beg, borrow, and steal, but don't stop until you get a hit."

One of the team leaders, Macklin, was at the open door as my guards were swapped out during a shift change. Even if I didn't have access to his mind, his face gave him away. He had found nothing, nothing, and more nothing about me. It had him looking at me in a different light. He was one of the few people who thought there was more to this than they could handle.

"You know this is beyond you, don't you?" I asked. "You're smart, you feel it."

I spoke in Latin while pointing to the bottle of water in his hand. He didn't speak the language but he inferred what he could. He was going to offer me the bottle, and then hesitated as if remembering I was MacGyver. He kept the cap and removed the label from the bottle before giving it to me. It was all I could do not to laugh.

"Someone get an interpreter that understands whatever she speaks," Then he was gone.

I went back to trying to sleep with my cuffs and two trigger happy humans in the room. It wasn't working well. My mind was on Eric. This had to be first time that I was actually glad he hadn't felt everything I felt. How the hell was I going to explain this? I didn't even know what this was.

At the first feeling of danger, I'd thought Water Fae but this was nothing like that. Whatever it was, I knew I would get out of it, but how I could tell Eric? I couldn't. This was the last thing that we needed. Ocella was providing a big enough problem. I understood that Eric and I didn't have an issue between us. We were having an issue over his Maker. I didn't mean that he didn't love me. It definitely didn't mean that he wouldn't over react, to something like this he most definitely would.

I was working with a faction of the Fae that another would want me dead for doing so, and then I come across humans, dangerous gun-toting humans whom I couldn't read or control. That had never happened to me in nearly three decades of life. Without a doubt, I knew if Eric even suspected I wasn't safe here he wouldn't let me return, especially now that I'd made sure my blood debt was paid. He wouldn't care that I was on the brink of saving an entire species, delicious as they were.

A part of me lifted and compelled me to trust Eric. It said that I could tell him the truth, no matter how ugly, and he would understand. Another part of me, the part that understood the baser instincts of vampires, knew for a fact that Eric would lose his shit. He wouldn't let me leave his side for the next decade, if that. That wasn't an option. I needed to get away from Ocella and the insecurities and animosity he caused in me. No matter how short a time he was with us, it was already too long.

My internal conflict was interrupted by the arrival of the Calvary. The CIA was here.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"Lock it down!" That was the voice of Deputy Director Tom Lattesta. I heard the protesting of police officers as they were rounded up by the muscle of CIA operatives.

"Is everyone deaf? Get your useless ass up and in line."

There was the scraping of chairs and, from the sounds of it, the agents were helping the officers to their feet.

"This building is under quarantine as a matter of national security," A female called over the chaos. "Anyone in contact with the Jane Doe, female suspect in custody for the square shooting, is to be locked down. Orders are from Washington under class priority target Alpha…"

I would know that high-pitched bitchy tone anywhere. She was Lattesta's work wife. She was the one his real wife thought he'd left her for emotionally. How the real Mrs. Lattesta came up with that I had no idea. The only person more impressionable than Lattesta was his second in command, Sara Weiss.

"We're officers of the law! You can't fucking detain us!" Someone shouted.

"The piece of paper your Commanding Officer is holding says I can," Sara retorted. "You're my bitch, but don't worry boys, I'll be gentle."

I smiled while I watched them from my interrogation room window. You really just had to love all that dick measuring that went on amongst the various branches of law enforcement. I listened while they steamrolled the locals. It took about ten minutes for the agents to take control of the entire precinct. It took a half hour more for them to wipe my presence from their records.

When he found his way into my interrogation room, Lattesta looked just as he had the day I met him almost a twenty years ago; thoroughly annoyed. He hadn't liked me then and he didn't care for me now, but I'd done this country favors and he owed me. He liked that fact even less.

"You certainly took your time, Tommy." I said in hello.

"Don't fuck with me today, little vampire. You have no idea how tempted I am to leave you to rot."

I smiled coyly and tapped my temple. "Now we both know that's just not true."

My father had told me to be on my best behavior while with them but I needed information. In that single exchange I knew everything I needed. The government wasn't behind my attack. If I hadn't been able to read the minds of my would-be assailants then it would stand to reason that I shouldn't be able to read Lattesta, but I was. Nothing had changed.

The Director tried to think of a million other things while he tried to confuse and distract a telepath, but I knew his mind. Thomas Lattesta was Director of DOA; Department of Otherworldly and Alien Affairs. The first time he introduced himself I laughed so hard I fell over! Come to think of it, that's probably why he never liked me. The acronym DOA usually meant 'dead on arrival.' I was with two vampires at the time; they were literally dead on arrival! He didn't get it. It wasn't my fault that he had no sense of humor.

Since the Great Revelation, Lattesta's unit had gained more respect but he still felt as if he had more to prove as demonstrated by his scowl. Lattesta mashed his lips into a hard line and the vein at his forehead pulsed almost violently.

"You think this is a fucking game, fangling? You think you can do whatever you want and use this country's government as your cleanup crew?"

No, I didn't think that, but I was sure I could if I had the means to pay for it. If the throbbing of the vein in his temple was any indication Lattesta knew my thoughts.

"A restaurant on US soil was turned into a goddamned war zone in the middle of a crowded strip. You left six dead, four critical."

I shrugged. "It was self-defense, but you know that already otherwise you wouldn't have come, favor or no."

In addition to being a total stickler, Lattesta was a good man and an even better agent. I didn't push him anymore because I still needed him not just to get me out of here, but to help me find out just who those assailants were.

"You need to be debriefed and I still have some loose ends to tie up; wipe the story from the locals. We reconvene at 0300."

I managed to stifle the derisive snort, but not the sarcastic two fingered salute. "Aye, aye Capitán."

He glared as he waved one of his agents over to uncuff me and tossed me a change of clothes. It was only then I remembered that I was covered in blood. It had dried on my hands and arms. It was all over my clothes too. I guess I'd been too hungry and tuned it out. Now that I looked at the grisly mess I was, Colman's words came to mind, the words he'd spoken to Caspian that made him look at me like a monster.

'…She is a vile and vicious thing like those whose company she keeps. Giving is not what her kind does. They take; they kill.'

That was exactly what I looked like, a killer. I pushed it away. None of that mattered. I didn't even allow myself to think of the one person I needed and wanted most in the world. I had things to do. I washed off in a bathroom and changed. Once I emerged I got to work. I was exhausted, but glamour was now almost as easy as telepathy. I removed my face and edited details. My face was also removed from the series of events. Now, all the officers and SWAT thought they had been at the scene of a drug deal gone bad not a shootout. Lattesta was nice enough to bring the cocaine and the briefcase full of money. If I had to guess, the money the agency owed me was used for all this. As it stood, I would be running out favors soon.

I was in a convoy of black Suburbans headed back to campus. Lattesta began with the questions but I had no answers. When he asked me the same question for a tenth time in another different way, I lost it.

"No sé. Nescio. Je ne sais pas. Ya ne znayu. What language is it going to take, Tom?" I snapped.

I knew I was making the other agents in the car nervous, but I couldn't really give a shit right about now. One was inching his hand to his gun. I ignored him because if I didn't, I would do something to neutralize the threat he was posing. I'd be damned if I got shot again tonight.

"I. Don't. Know."

I was entirely at sea. I had no idea who those people were, why they were after me, who had sent them. If there was anything I hated, it was not knowing.

Tom looked at me and whatever he saw made him change tactics. He replied in Russian, "Tell me what you do know."

I did and that didn't take long. I told him how long I'd been here and where I lived full-time. The reason I disclosed this was because I knew he already knew. I wasn't naïve enough to believe that the government was allowing me to go untraced. As long as it didn't involve their secrets they didn't care. By the time I was finished, Lattesta looked somewhat disturbed. Sara chose that time to jump in.

"Bird's here. Agents are waiting a go to wipe her room down."

"No," I said.

I knew they would return me to the desert, the one place I couldn't go.

"That is not the way favors work. You do what I want. Right now, I want to stay right here and see this through, find out who is after me and why. Give me agents and I'll need a full workup on my attackers."

I watched Lattesta as a calculating look colored his softly graying features. "I give you this and you will be out of favors with the Agency."

I rolled my eyes. He was totally trying to hustle me. "You are Intelligence. This person snuck up on both of us. I know you want him, especially because of what he can do mentally."

He shot me a death glare; I matched it and raised him a cold smile. He caved. "Alive," Lattesta clarified. "Along with the safety of my agents guaranteed to the best of your many abilities."

I nodded and Sara handed me a folder. It contained the faces of my attackers. I'd been right to assume that they had been well trained. Four were Navy Special Forces. It said that they were retired, but given their ages and mission specifications, they had most likely faced a dishonorable discharge and had been given a choice; them and the people they were with worked as military contractors.

People who often did 'wet work' for the government outside the military chain of command so the government could claim deniability. What the hell? How the hell did people like these even know my name, never mind where I was and when? Vampires didn't send them. Neither did the Fae. Both species thought too little of humans to do so. I had no idea what was going on.

For the duration of the ride, I was trying to read my own mind. It was the only way to explain it. All six of my senses caught so much that it was impossible to notice everything as it came in. I went deeply into my head to find anything.

Normally it worked but tonight… I couldn't focus. My emotions were running too high. I felt anger, guilt, and confusion. Anger I understood. Confusion made some sense, but guilt baffled me. This wasn't my fault. I had killed people who would have killed me or worse. So why was it that for the second time tonight Colman's words flash through my mind? I was starting to feel as though he had cursed me or lay bare what I never wanted to be, what people presumed all vampires were.

My mood was such that no one said a single word to me. Not even when I took the phone of a random agent and reprogrammed it to the one I'd hastily dumped while under attack did anyone acknowledge me. I was dropped off back at the college. There, five other agents were waiting in an identical vehicle. Caspian was outside my door with Colman and Preston guarding him. The agents went still, no doubt under some spell.

Caspian was going to speak but I shook my head. He either didn't see or he didn't care. "I am happy to see you are well." Then again, maybe he did. Without awaiting a response, he left pulling Colman and Preston with him. It was clear that they wanted to guard their insurance policy.

All I wanted was Eric. I wanted to hear his voice. I needed it like I needed air at the moment. I crawled into bed and called him. I was using a phone that wasn't mine, but he wouldn't know that. My number would show, he would talk to me, and make me feel as though all was well. When Eric talked to or looked at me, I didn't feel so unique that I was alone. I felt loved unconditionally and adored without qualification. I needed that more than anything at the moment.

I called. With every ring that went unanswered, tears spilled over lids and fell down to my ears.

I was asleep for only an hour when I was being shaken awake by one of agents. He had a phone almost up my nose.

"Yeah, what?" I said.

"They're dead," Lattesta said.

I sat up trying to fight off fatigue. "I don't understand," I told him. "Who?"

"The four who were left in critical condition were under local guard. We went to secure them after dropping you off but there was a gun man. Obviously he was there to tie up loose ends but he made it look good. He also took the lives of civilians."

I rolled out of bed and to the little television in the room. There were already a dozen versions of the event.

"What is the body count?" I asked. The area hospital was a scene of outright pandemonium. There were more flashing lights of emergency responders than I could count.

"Including his marks and him, eighteen. He wounded ten others. With the exception of two local officers, there were all civilians, and some were fucking kids who were patients in the ICU," he told me.

"Can you continue to handle this?" I asked.

"DOD is en route, and if they don't like what I have to say, they will take lead and I can't stop it."

"Do what you can," I told him. "Whoever this is, I am going to find them and when I do, I am going to make them wish they were dead."

"Make their wish come true," He said, but before hanging up he made an interesting comment. "If what they can do mentally can make someone capable of this, I want to knowledge to die with them."

"Understood."

I was too furious to go back to sleep. I followed the story as it unfolded. The news rocked the city and state, but not the nation. I knew that had something to do with Lattesta. The Agency was playing it down. I was grateful. The bigger the hype and the more details the media leaked, the more liable vampires were to question the events, most specifically my vampire. I guess I'd made the decision to keep this from him.

I promised myself that I would tell him once I figured what was happening. Eric was old enough to deny instinct for reason, but where I was concerned, not so much. I needed to give him something to work with and right now I had nothing. That was unacceptable. I got dressed, but it wasn't to head to work. I was going hunting.

I had a meet and greet with the team Lattesta had left with me. Maybe it was the training or the job itself, but all CIA agents looked alike to me. I was stuck with five clones who called me, 'Ma'am' to my face and the package amongst themselves. They told me what had been gathered thus far on the gunman from the hospital.

His name was Noah Lowe. He had a long history of schizophrenia and frequented the hospital, mostly on cold or rainy nights. In addition to his mental illness there was a history of violence and drug use, but nothing like this massacre.

We all knew that Noah was the cleanup guy. That was all that was known for sure. Was he willing or forced? I sifted through everything trying to find a pattern or a link between my attack and the one at the hospital. I knew there was one but came up with nothing.

"Have you traced the weapons?" I asked.

Each of my assailants at the restaurant had enough weapons on their person to start a war so the file was thick. I read through everything, even though I was mostly concerned about the ultraviolet stuff. By the time I was getting to the autopsy reports, I heard Caspian arriving long before the agents did. I could have warned them but I wanted to test a theory.

I waited and watched covertly, but none of the agents even looked toward the door. They weren't relaxed either. They were just focused on the folders we'd spread across the floor. However, the instant Caspian knocked, it was answered with of five guns instantly trained on the door. Sheesh, that answered that I guess.

"It's fine," I told them. "Come in, Cas."

The look on my friend's face was comical when he entered. Two of the five were on either side of the door, hands on their weapons. Two had taken up a post behind me and one was directly at my side. He was the most dangerous of the guards, at least by human standards.

"MIB?" Caspian asked.

I snorted a laugh. . "They're private security," I said with a smile. "I had a rough night."

Now that I got a clearer look at him, he looked as if he hadn't faired any better. Vain as the Fae were, none would be caught in the same clothes two days in a row, with wrinkles no less.

Before I asked he said, "Can we talk in front of them?"

His expression was solemn, unlike anything I'd seen since my arrival. I nodded. "They know what I am." He was smart enough to know what that meant. Lattesta assumed I was in college for the experience because I didn't need the education. That wasn't entirely inaccurate. They didn't know about the Fae or why I was here. That was how it needed to stay.

"Chari is dead," Caspian said. "She was abducted, tortured, and when her body failed, she died."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"I called her to help with the project after you left. Isaiah said she left early to get to her daughter's recital. Hours later, her daughter Ruby called saying she never arrived so I went in search of her, but it was too late."

Chari Gupta was one of two humans in the know at the lab. How could she be dead? I'd seen her face just yesterday. She had given a shy wave as she left early. I'd heard her thinking of her daughter's piano recital. When I saw Isaiah trying to stop her just to be a dick, I'd controlled his mind and sent him to the bathroom for a half hour to help Chari but she never made it to her destination. If I had never interfered she would still be alive.

"What did she tell them?" I asked.

I knew she must have told her torturers something. They wouldn't have killed her otherwise.

"Nothing," He sighed. "She and Isaiah were both bound as you. The price of their knowledge was secrecy above all else. No matter what they did or threatened her with, she could never talk."

Right, he hadn't said she'd been killed. He said her body failed and she died. Translation; she had taken her own life to end the pain. I didn't want to imagine what had been done to her. The poor woman must have been in Hell. It wasn't just physical agony. Chari had given up hope in everything; mercy, rescue, and in any God in whom she believed. She was a scientist and a damned good one. She must have calculated and realized that her odds of escape or rescue were unfavorable.

That was what Caspian had been trying to tell me on the phone. All I heard was, "…is missing." He had been trying to tell me that Chari was missing. Like me, at the first thought of trouble he had thought it was the Water Fae. It wasn't. It wasn't vampires either. These were humans after me.

"She was strong. She lasted several hours. When we got there her body was still warm. I wanted to pursue them but because it wasn't who we feared; Colman wanted to leave it be. The Prince agreed."

So he had no say. He didn't say the words but I saw it on his face. Niall and Colman were removed from the human world. One more dead didn't matter to them. They died with the clock. It didn't even matter that that one meant something to Caspian. His normally buoyant expression was tight with so much grief and anger. I reached out and gave his hand a hard squeeze. I wanted to make sure he saw everything I planned to do to whomever was responsible.

The lead agent, Lynch, was trying to keep up but we had lost him. He assumed we were using code words. He didn't ask and I sure as hell wasn't about to offer. The Agency had their secrets and I had mine.

"This was pinned to her skin."

Caspian reached into his back pocket. He moved slowly but the agents behind us still drew their weapons. It was a folded up Ziploc bag. I could see the blood, but couldn't smell it, not until it was unfolded four times, and then the scent registered as familiar. It was Chari's blood, but I also caught the scent of one my assailants. I didn't know which one, but I knew that he had tortured one helpless, defenseless woman right before he went to kill another.

'Run all you want but you'll never escape the seeds of evil sown by your father.'

That was what the note said. It was a written over a crisp piece of printer paper but the words were in blood, Chari's blood. I read and reread but it didn't get clearer. Not only was a human stalking me like prey, but they were bold enough to taunt me as they did so. If that wasn't enough, this person had been happy to sacrifice over twenty other people in one night just to get to me.

I was slowly building a profile. With this, I just added a little more to it. My enemy had money and power, enough to afford ex-military. He or she was able to train them mentally beyond what the CIA could afford thus far. That made even less sense, if that was possible. No one I had ever come across fit the criterion. I didn't know either of my biological parents, so it could have been an enemy of theirs.

Deep down though, I knew who this was. Right now I didn't know anything for certain. I needed answers and there was only one place I could get them. Sadly, it was the one place in the world where I was forbidden admission.

I sat and stared at the phone but decided against it for so many reasons, the least of which being that I was not my father's favorite person right now. I wouldn't get spotted by any vampires during the day, but I'd set up cameras in every port of entry in Nevada and he would know of my presence within a half hour of waking.

"I need to get to California," I told Caspian.

"That is not authorized," The agent in charge said.

The volume of aggression in the room amped up several octaves, and it had the agents reaching for their guns once more. Caspian arched a brow, and I pulled in a deep breath and held it. We knew that there was no way for him to stop me, but again, it seemed it was dick measuring time or something. I had no idea what it was about guns that just gave people a false sense of power.

I turned on the agents and entered their minds simultaneously. Their faces went blank as they complied with my mental commands. I left them conscious enough so they would know what I was doing. I've learned that if people could understand what they were doing while under a thrall it was less distressing. Two of them climbed into bed. The others made a pallet from my blankets and pillows. In my defense, they needed the sleep.

"Sleep," I ordered. Immediately five pairs of eyes closed behind heavy lids, and then those lids slid closed.

Taking the SAT phone off of the lead agent I sent a message to Lattesta. It was a text that told him exactly what I'd done and why. When I was finished, I faced Caspian who was looking at me just as he had on the day I had corrected his glove formula, awed but not afraid. I didn't care if he thought I was awesome. Oddly enough, what mattered was that he wasn't looking at me as if I was a monster.

"Can you get me somewhere you've never been?" I repeated.

Cas shook his head. "I need a destination. If you could draw me a picture I could absorb it, but I need to see where I am going."

Thank God for Google! I typed in the address of the club where Zee always held his performances in California. Drai's was only thirty miles from the western-most border of Nevada. That was as far as into the Kingdom of three as my father had been willing to allow his son to travel. Any vampire who dared further without permission was never seen again. I didn't know why but I didn't want to find out today. I printed out images of the club, inside and out. Caspian absorbed them, and then we were gone.

I drove us another thirty miles in a stolen car toward Nevada before I began calling to the one person who was most attuned to my mental voice. I'd never done anything like this before but, logically it seemed feasible. I hoped against my odds. My mental net was cast as wide as I could get it. I ignored the influx and sent out a beacon to my brother.

Nim always heard me. He had to hear me now, if only because I needed him so badly. From this distance I yelled, something I never did when trying to gain entry into my brothers' minds. I sat there on the hood of that stolen car for an hour and a half but came up empty in replies.

For the first time since I had left home I now thought Nim too no longer loved me. That hurt than anything because Nim was a rock. He never took sides. He was as unwavering as time itself. I'd never thought about it, but I always assumed that if no one else understood why I had turned my back on my family, Nim would, but apparently he didn't. He couldn't hear me, and now I feared that it was because he didn't want to. I wanted to curl into a ball and just sob.

Perhaps it would have been less painful if I could've just cried and gotten it out of the way. I didn't. I couldn't. I had an audience and nothing but clear skies above. My tears wouldn't come. I got back in the car feeling defeated. I started the engine but, at the same time, I felt my brother in my head. I stilled with my hand on the gear shift.

"What is it?" Caspian asked.

There were no thoughts to hear, likely because he was too far I felt him in my head and the feeling grew stronger with every beat of my heart. Exiting the car, I raced back out to the spot where I'd been calling out to him again. Instead of coming to me from the southeast which was closest, it felt as if he was coming from the southwest. He must have taken an alternate route to my location. I waited with baited breath, and then I heard it.

"Shy-shy?"

"Nim," I replied. "Hi!"

I must have looked out of my mind, standing there seemingly grinning at the ether with tears of joy shimmering in my eyes. As far back as I could remember Nim's voice was a part of my mind.

'Milk,' I would say looking at the bottle he had heated for me.

Nim would shake his head. 'Too hot.'

When I wanted to go out too close to dawn, he would say, 'Too late.'

When I wanted to go with him to patrol Sai's area he would say, 'Too dangerous.'

I'd always felt as if I was always too something! That must have been the extent of our dialogue for years, but he didn't seem to mind and neither did I. I cared even less now. When he shattered the parking lot upon his arrival, I knew I had far underestimated his love for me.

His mental voice was so clear at this proximity. I stood there staring at him as though he was a dream. I had taken his presence in my mind and in my life for granted. I never thought I would go months, never mind years, without it, but I had. Having it resonate there once again was like light after dark, like love after war.

"Hello, little runt," He said.

Nim spoke! He actually talked to me! There was so much I'd never had the chance to openly say to him. There was so much I wanted him to know, and yet I couldn't voice any of it. My throat was closed up tightly; I swallowed but found no relief, and so I stood there choking on my emotions. I just looking at him until I finally held my arms out and open much like the bowlegged toddler I hadn't been in decades.

My big brother closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around me. I could have cried. The last twelve hours had been hellish. I had felt alone and being his arms was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. He hugged me so tightly it hurt. I didn't care. I could breathe later, but this was the only time I had to feel as if I was a part of my family again. My reunion with my brother was soon interrupted by Cas. He was mumbling to himself and gasping at intervals.

"Vampire… in the sun…" He whispered. "I should go over there and touch him…he wouldn't even notice. I would be totally cool about it and just say, 'hey'."

We both turned to look at him because he was failing at being covert. Cas looked like a deer caught in headlights. His mouth was hanging open, and for a faery he looked totally undignified. Nim looked at me and I knew him well enough to know his thoughts, 'Kill or not'.

"Cas," I called. "Dial it down!"

"I'm being creepy," He said as if he was shocked he'd been found out.

"Yup," I replied.

"I'll go back to the car."

"Thanks," I said. "I appreciate it."

Caspian literally walked backward. He never took his eyes from Nim as he went. I heard the car door open and close but somehow I knew he was still staring. Just as I expected, Nim didn't ask. Once Cas was back in the car, for Nim he faded out of existence. That, too, was no surprise.

"What is the matter?"

Instead of telling him, he let me show him. Nim opened his mind to me. It was a great of show of trust and one that I no longer felt I deserved. He gave it to me all the same. I relaxed and let the past twenty-four hours run through my mind. The note that was left with Chari's body was the most pressing thing. Nim listened, and when I was finished he looked no different, not that I expected a different reaction. He was the rock enduring the sands of time.

"His name is Matthew Ward. He killed your mother."

From my Nim I always received nothing less than the truth, nothing colored by any emotion but simply the truth as it was, ugly. Seeing my mother through his unbiased eyes made me wonder what her true test in life was. Why hadn't she just given me to Fintan just as she had left her full human baby to his father? The answer was simple. She wanted to have it all. It didn't matter that she didn't want the prize, she wanted to win them.

That was why she had dared to reengage on a deal with a Faery even if he had made her irresistible. Someone like her wouldn't be able to pass up besting him. The only way to do that would be to steal the child he'd believed would have been special. I was her most prized possession in a way; her ultimate 'Fuck you' to a Supe that no doubt thought to use her in turn. Except I was a prize she couldn't handle or wanted.

The memories shifted. Nim was in a dark, dank warehouse. He was looking at Matthew Ward. He was a young man then, and everything about him was refined and privileged. From his haircut to his clothes, and even the way he attempted to take control of the situation where he found himself after he had killed a woman, all spoke loudly of his station in life. The details of this particular memory were perfectly preserved.

"If you are religious, start praying," Heidi urged the young Mr. Ward. "For nothing but Divine Providence can change the horrid fate awaiting you."

Lined across on the other side of the room were vampires whom I'd never seen before and was certain I never wanted to meet. They varied in ages, but there was a singularly lustful and viciousness to their postures that told me where this was going. My father passed his judgment and it was vicious.

"These men here," My father declared. "They will redefine your definition of rape, degradation, and brutality. They will desecrate your soul. When you are nothing but a broken, tattered shell begging for death, you will then be delivered safely home where you will carry the memories of your crime and punishment for the rest of your days."

I didn't see what was done to him because Nim didn't but I saw the aftermath…I had to gulp in several breaths to keep my stomach from wrenching. What had once been a preppy pretty boy was a grotesque creature covered almost head to toe in bandages.

'No glamour was used to erase the details of his crime or his punishment,' Nim clarified, but I already knew that, and even if he hadn't told me I would have known it because Matthew was still alive and had seen my face somewhere in Florida. Now he was out to get me at any cost. Thoughts of a damned creature were all I could see. I was cursed. I wasn't conceived out of love or even a drunken night. I was a pawn to be used. In that moment, I felt the emptiness and despair of it.

Then Nim made me see myself as he did. I saw the bowlegged little child whose hair accounted for most of her weight. I saw my little hands and feet as he had, and to him I was always be that child, the one he had found shivering in thick shrubs.

"Thank you," I told him.

I knew he had to get back soon and I had to do the same. "I love you, Nim."

He brushed his knuckles across my cheek and I leaned into them wishing that was the only thing that would make the world all right.

'Come home, Shy.'

The thought was sent softly but the emotion behind it was stronger than anything I'd ever felt from Nim. I choked on my tears.

"I want to," I said aloud. "I wish I could, Nim."

'I do not believe Father is truly angry with you anymore. Your mind mirrors his but it is I who reflect his heart. Both are rigid.'

He flashed an ingrained lesson into my mind. The words had been said so many times that the only thing that was distinctive was the voice and the words of our father, not the different instances.

'Actions have reactions,' my dad had drilled into me, into all of us… 'Act only when you have accepted the repercussions of your actions.'

"You remember?" Nim asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

'He is your father, your King, and you deliberately disobeyed him; presumably because you have accepted the consequences of your actions. He punished you because he felt he must. We all know this."

I didn't. I'd never even thought of it that way but Nim and I could be seen as the extremes of my father's temperament. Nim loved and when he did, it was forever. It wasn't that my father didn't see anything in us other than our uses. He cared so much and he put everything he had into all of us so we were the best at whatever we excelled in. Yet he could be just as harsh because as inherent as his love was, his approval wasn't as free, and I was always starved for it. He pushed so hard that sometimes that was all you could see, not why he was pushing.

"Be that as it may… I know he wants you home. You are his only daughter and his youngest.

"Father respects strength," I replied. "And he thinks me weak." Worthless.

It took a few months after being exiled to realize and accept that my dad didn't hate me. I'd been pissed at my brothers enough to know that anger wasn't enough to wash away love or give way to hate. Sometimes I let myself fantasize about just going back home and walking into my father's office in Vegas. He wouldn't kill me. I might have a chance at making him reconsider. Ultimately what I had said to Nim was true. Felipe De Castro respected power.

If I went running home to Daddy, especially because I needed his help, I would spend the rest of my life defending my marriage. As much as I wanted to go home, as much as I missed my father, my family, and my own lab, I needed to make my father see I was at peace with the decision I'd made regardless of what it had cost me. Standing here close enough to smell the familiar scent of my brother and close enough to touch his skin, I made my choice. I stepped back with my heart heavy and breaking but my soul at peace.

"I love you, Nim." I told him once more. "I'm sorry."

With my mental abilities I'd connected Nim with the rest of the family. Now he was back as he was, ever alone. If there was no one else that deserved an apology for my defection, he did. In accordance with his usual style he didn't speak.

He nodded as he backed away and then took off the same way he'd come. I watched him go and felt as if I'd been ripped apart from everything I'd loved all over again. It hurt more because life at home was being intruded upon. It was all the more reason to make Matthew Ward pay. He had succeeded in hurting me twice. He was a dead man.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving. If it isn't a thing where you are from then consider it my excuse for being out of touch for a the past few days.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

During the drive back, memories of the day I was exiled ran through my mind as if it were yesterday. After going to find the Ancient Pythoness and emancipating my states, I went home. Every step that brought me closer to my childhood home made me want to cringe. Part of me knew it would always feel as if it had only happened yesterday.

_What I felt went deeper than a fear of my father's wrath and disappointment. I had just made Louisiana and Arkansas autonomous states. I was one of the only people who knew how much he had lost into that venture. Years of planning and millions upon millions of dollars had gone into claiming those states._

_Those kingdoms, prosperous as they may have been, were naught but a stepping stone. They were the first stop in my epic rule as a breathing, yet undead Queen. Nevertheless, it didn't feel as though I was giving up anything because, in truth, I wasn't. I had battled with it but I could no longer deny the truth. My father had groomed me to perfection. Every lesson, every test, had come down to this. He had done a most outstanding job._

_I had everything it took to rule except the heart, and that belonged to Eric. None of this was about Eric though. If I had to be honest with myself, I think that was part of the reason why I refused to let him go no matter how badly I wanted to. He was the first thing that had just been mine. There had been no rhyme or reason in loving him._

_I chose Eric for me even when I wasn't myself and he was the best thing that ever happened to me. I would always choose Eric. My only regret was that I had taken so long to make my stand. It would have taken silver and ultraviolet lights to cut through the tension as I entered the home. I didn't have to be called. Sai was here, I knew my father was aware, and that he would be expecting me._

_I'd walked these halls countless times. Never in my life had I been afraid no matter how dark it was. The day he made me his daughter, my father showed me around the house and his other properties. He told me that I owned them all, the possessions within them, and the people who worked within. I would never be as safe anywhere else in the world as I was in these lands, within the walls of this home. Today I felt like a stranger, a betrayer, and an outcast._

_I turned toward the grand staircase and found two of my brothers, Neiman and Oliver, in my way. To anyone who didn't know them, seeing them seated on the marble steps might seem like nothing. I knew better. A conflict loomed yonder and it was heavy. They wanted no part of it. This was their out. They didn't want to choose sides._

_Ultimately, my father had the final word but he cared what we thought, and that was why they were bothering with this protest. Zee was seated beside my father and Sai was standing behind a chair prearranged for me. To say I was expecting the opposite was the understatement of several centuries past, present, or future._

_Eric had ended Sai mere days ago. He had to remember that. If not, he at least remembered being detained in Area Five until it had become a Republic. None of that showed as he stood behind the chair meant for me. I didn't even think my father knew his version of events or maybe my dad did, and Sai was in my corner just to trick me. All my inner musings ended when I looked at my father and his expression brought out the child._

_"Hi, Daddy," I greeted._

_"Sit. Down." My father said._

_His jaw clenched and unclenched so fast that it appeared to be throbbing. I knew it was an attempt to keep his fangs from extending. Wordlessly I complied. Not even Divine Intervention could keep me from facing the consequences of my actions. I opened my mouth to justify everything. He waved his hands in an errant, but precise manner. It made no difference because I had no idea how to begin._

_The good girl I'd always been had no idea what it was like to not to be on a pedestal. I was shattering the image but I still wanted to remain the apple of his eye. The fact that I was doing the right thing gave me all the courage, but it wasn't enough, not with the way my dad was looking at me. He looked so confused but his fury was brimming and dangerously close to boiling over. It was the first time that I'd ever been afraid of my dad._

_"It is because you are my only daughter that your head still remains attached to the rest of you," He said. "How could you do this?"_

_It was complicated. I didn't even know how to begin explaining it to him in a way that he would find acceptable, so I went for what I knew he would respond to._

_"I love you, Daddy," I implored. "I don't want you to be angry with me, please. I want…"_

_My voice wavered as tears tried to fight their way free. I stuffed them back. Crying would do nothing but hurt my cause. I was raised to believe that tears solved nothing and he had been right. They didn't. This was the real sacrifice and I felt every ounce of it as I faced his unflinching expression._

_"I just want you to understand," I concluded._

_His right hand twitched ever so slightly. I knew that he was fighting the command that would send Sai on a war path. The only reason that he didn't give the nonverbal order for attack was because he wasn't sure I would survive. I shut my mouth so as not to add fuel to the fire. The silence continued and it took another five minutes before my father spoke._

_"You have lost your mind," he said quite reasonably. "¿Como qué? You think I have lost mine, eh, mija?"_

_"Dad…" I began, shaking my head._

_He waved his hand and I knew to stop talking. He had let me say my piece and I should let him have his. I was also very sure he was having a hard time not killing me._

_"My daughter, the one I raised; she would never break my trust or confidence. She would never put anyone or anything before her family, her own blood. She would never, not ever, lie to me, plot against me, and then expect me to 'just understand' when there is clearly no reason to be found in her method. She would know that this is madness. She would know that she had lost her way and she would turn to me."_

_Yes. I would have when I saw the hurt on his face, I knew I should have. He was looking at me as if he didn't know me anymore, as if I was a strange and horrible monster. That hurt more than I ever thought possible. In my mind I had been braced for a blowout, his fury, his harsh judgment but living it wasn't something for which I could prepare. What made it worse was the fact that there was nothing I could say._

_I hadn't shared the information my father had confided to me but I had used it to Eric's advantage. It hadn't cost him anything more than money but it was still a betrayal. The loss of money was a win because I had been trying to prevent bloodshed or other forms of irrevocable harm._

_Then Eric had attacked and ended Sai. I hadn't disclosed all the siblings I had that my father wanted hidden, not even to my husband. When he saw me in a screaming match with a vampire that he didn't know, he reacted like any other vampire would. It had been my fault. Not even when I was fighting the memories of my true self had I ever felt so torn apart. I was trying to keep faith with two people whom I loved that were on opposing sides of a fight. It was impossible._

_"You think that would I allow you throw away all the time, money, resources, and energy I spent raising you?" He shook his head. "That is not an option. You will not ruin your life..."_

_God! He had no idea. What was more frustrating was that he really didn't have to. He raised me to serve my family and I had accepted that when I was kid. Now, I didn't want that._

_"This has nothing to do with Eric." I said as calmly as I could manage. "It's me. I'm not a little girl anymore. My life no longer revolves around your approval. I know what I want and it isn't a throne. Please, enough."_

_It wasn't the fact that several vampires had been used and manipulated and others had died. It was the fact that I didn't want this as badly as they did. I simply took it because I was able to but it didn't mean as much. It was a waste. It might all come full circle and, just as Zee had said, I would regret jeopardizing my name but I was willing to take that chance._

_All I knew was I loved Eric. I wanted to be with him. I wanted my father to accept it. I couldn't control what my father did and the worst mistake I had ever made was thinking I could try. As I stood before my family, I still didn't know the rest, but I had forever to find out._

_"I have never asked for anything," I begged, unable to keep my tears unshed. "Let me have this one thing, please, Daddy."_

_I was clinging to anything I could and it only made him more furious. A frightening kind of cool settled into my father's posture, yet he looked absolutely disgusted._

_"You ungrateful…little brat!" he hissed. "Name one thing you have ever wanted for?"_

_I tried to think, but other than this, I had nothing and it was as if he could read my mind._

_"Of course you have never asked anything of me. I have given you everything! Every single thing you needed, wanted, or even gazed upon with interest; I made it yours! And this is what you do? Your efforts have been for naught. Eric needs to go."_

_"No. He is my husband.," I said this as a fact because that was the truth. "I love him, but you are my father. You made me what I am, for better or for worse. So you know that there is no way you can end him and keep me as I am. You kill him and there will be nothing left of me for you to salvage."_

_He stared at me and I stared right back. I knew when I'd won because he didn't seem able to look at me anymore._

_"Get her away from me," He ordered. "Get her away, I swear I do not know what I will do!"_

_He waved his hand but instead descending like the Reaper, Sai walked over to me like a referee and led me out of the room, out of the house, and off the property. I was led to a dump and I spent time in a dungeon. As far as dungeons went it wasn't horrible, but my mind and heart were so torn that I felt as if I would never be whole again. I wanted Eric and I wanted my father to love me again. I had neither._

_Those thoughts consumed me as I sat in that cell. I didn't know how much time had passed, but the doors opened and I hadn't decided what hurt more, losing my father's love or missing my husband. I was still thinking about it when I met with my father later that day. I saw him and my life as his sole-pampered princess flashed before my eyes but I didn't let that show. I don't know what he saw but it made him speak first._

_"You are stripped of your title," The King said._

_His words were inflectionless but they broke my heart, not losing the title but knowing what would follow. I held the little breath that was in my lungs, and even then it still felt like someone had thrust their hand into my chest and was trying to rip my heart out. I tried to breathe through it, but nothing in my life had ever prepared me for this. I knew what I was giving up and what I was gaining, but it still hurt. I could face fear. I could look my enemy in the face and laugh. This…was impossible._

_"Henceforth, you are banished from this Kingdom and all others that will fall under my rule and those you once called brother. Get out of my sight."_

_I was out the door with my footsteps echoing behind me. I looked back even though I knew there was nothing more for me here. None of my brothers looked as if they could see me. It was like a switch had been flipped. My father didn't look back. He was moving onto something more important. Growing up, it was instilled in me that a true ruler is never without options as long as they have the strength of will to make sacrifices. That was what this was. I made my sacrifice and my father had made his._

_Even as I walked off with nothing but the clothes on my back, I knew I'd made the right choice, I knew this wasn't about Eric. As far back as I could remember I'd always been afraid of losing my father's love. I was the one that had to always be hidden because I was human. It was me that had to be carried because I couldn't fly. I didn't always have fangs either. I'd felt like he was tied to my brothers by making them, but his love for me was conditional upon my greatness. I never let myself want to be anything but great, but then I met Eric._

_Eric was the one thing I wanted more than anything. I feared losing him more than everything else, so I walked into my dad's office building. Yet, he couldn't even look at me. He looked through me, not like a window but like a ghost, like he didn't know me. To show me how far I'd fallen he had Victor there to witness my shame. Victor didn't verbally gloat but he was dripping with glee._

Caspian didn't intrude on my thoughts until he had gotten me back to the dorm. He must have been picking up on my mood because that was the first he'd spoken even though I knew he had been dying to ask about the vampire in the sun.

"You don't have to do it, you know," He said. "Hunt this person;kill him."

"He killed Chari, had her tortured and…"

"I am not saying he doesn't deserve to die, I am saying you do not have to be the one to do it because it wouldn't be justice, it would be revenge and it would make his death more valuable than your life."

My emotions were running high and I knew if I engaged him any further I would lose it.

"You can bring an entire species back from the brink of extinction," He said.

Unlike Colman and Niall, Caspian didn't just want me locked in the lab or a bubble so I could work. I felt he really believed what he was saying and he wasn't just trying to talk me out of a fight because I was their last hope. He understood the scientist part of my mind. I needed to make clear the vampire.

"I can also bring death," That was exactly what I going to do.

The agents were awake and less than happy at what I'd done. They could get in line.

"Get Tom on the phone," I said to one of them.

"I need a satellite comm. link to Intel as well as a tactical unit on standby," I rattled off.

They moved in a flurry of activity.

Having no good reason to lie to him I told Lattesta what Nim had told me. While I was away he would dig up what he could find about Matthew Ward. Someone higher ranking than his Senator father had to be helping him. If anyone could find out whom, it was Lattesta.

I heard back from him an hour later. "According to all reports, he died in a car wreck over twenty-five years ago. It was closed casket due to the severity of the scars. We could begin searching in the…"

"He's here." I told him.

I couldn't believe I had been so close to him and hadn't picked it up in his mind. Hate of this magnitude, the kind that caused someone to cut down this many lives was impossible to hide, but then I hadn't been able to account for his mental abilities. Matthew Ward had been there in the dive bar the night Caspian, Colman, and I had gone to see the local drug dealer.

"And I know exactly how to draw him out."

Eric called that night while I was in a tactical meeting with Lattesta. I ignored it. I had another day to stop this psycho. I needed to get to Matthew Ward because if he came for me again—and I knew he would—more innocent people would die.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** I contemplated how to do this. So I decided to do "chunks" every few days. This segment has four chapters. Enjoy and review to share your thoughts and feelings!

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

"I was beginning to worry," Eric said in hello after I called back.

I made a noise of interest but said nothing. I had called him on what had to be the worst night I'd had since I left home. He hadn't been there, most likely he was cleaning up after his sadistic Maker and demented vampire sibling. Honestly if I didn't have my own issues with Ocella, I wouldn't have held that against him, but I did.

I heard my husband sigh. "Are we fighting again?" he asked calmly, and his calm while I was so emotionally torn bothered me. It fueled my response.

"You tell me," I said, because I had no idea.

I'd called and left a heartfelt message, apologizing for things that weren't my fault. Although Eric had called me back, he had missed my return call, but now I wasn't sure anymore. I was expecting Eric to spell it out for me. In his own direct, unconventional way, he did.

"You are my mate, love cannot even begin to describe what I feel for you," He replied. "You are also my wife, so I am afraid of angering you for I value my life."

I didn't want to, but I burst out laughing. How was it that all my insecurities dissipated? I couldn't explain it but I didn't have to. No matter what was wrong with my world or his, we had this, us.

"I could not imagine life being remotely comfortable with a pissed off woman such as you at my heel."

I laughed. "Damn straight," I agreed.

We talked about nothing, nothing at all, not Ocella or my job. We just talked about what being apart felt like. It somehow bridged the distance that separated us. Maybe it wasn't just being at home around Eric's Maker that made me feel as if I was on a short fuse. Perhaps it was the time I spent working with the Fae. I didn't think of it that way. My night and day was on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell him everything, but something foreign stole it away.

I couldn't tell Eric about what happened because I honestly felt like I couldn't. It was too shocking. I thought I'd put violence behind me. Then two years later it jumped out at me and I had no hope of making sense of it. It had left me feeling… so raw, somewhat tainted. It hadn't been a lie, more as though I was omitting details until I was ready to spill.

Coming to Florida had been a path to compromise our way to peaceful solution in the beginning but I liked my work. Since leaving home I felt, no; I knew that Eric was trying to be my everything because he knew what I'd lost. It wasn't just that he knew what I lost; he knew how badly I wanted it back. He tried and I loved him for it, but it wasn't healthy or fair to him.

I liked having a place that was separate from Eric, but one I could share with him at the same time. I felt balanced. If Eric found out about this I would lose that balance. I would go back to pretending full-time. The thought alone… it made me cringe. I wanted to wear the lab coat, play football with vampires, and mix in with humans.

A part of me rose and compelled me to trust him. It said that I could tell him the truth, no matter how ugly and he would understand. Another part of me, the part that understood the baser instinct of vampires, knew for a fact that Eric would lose his shit. He wouldn't let me leave his side for the next decade, if that.

I couldn't rationalize why he should. I was working with a faction of Fae while another would want me dead for it. Then I come across humans, dangerous, gun-toting humans whom I couldn't read or control. That had never happened to me in almost three decades of life. If I was Eric, I would lock me away too. I couldn't tell him. I also couldn't hide anything from him either, so I made a deal with myself. Knowing me as well as he did, Eric would catch on. He would ask and I would come clean.

Tom and the other CIA agents entered the room and I knew I had to go.

"I love you, see you soon."

"Looking forward to it."

The switch for me was instantaneous when I hung up the phone. I immediately got my head in the game. The plan was simple. I would be the bait. If Matthew Ward was as smart and as well-connected as he had already proven to be, he would be watching the exit points out of town in search of me. I'd bought a one way ticket to Nevada and I would be heading to the airport. He knew where I worked, but couldn't risk coming here to get me even without my added security. The campus was too big. I had no doubt that he was watching the surrounding areas. I wouldn't make it to the highway once I left campus.

I was dressed casually, but the all-black ensemble was like nothing else I wore while in Florida. It was the only indication that I was going out to shed blood. We had gone over last minute preparations and I was ready to head out when Niall unexpectedly arrived. I hadn't seen him since the day we renegotiated our contract.

"I have been informed that you have not been to work in the past two days." He said in hello. "I have come to inquire as to why."

If the Prince noticed the seven automatic weapons trained in his direction he didn't show it. His eyes were on me. His expression was curious, but he was lacking that calm that should be natural for him. I only needed one guess as to what had him perturbed. It wasn't that long ago that Colman had stolen Caspian away because Lochlan and Neave had been spotted near here. I wasn't going to ask, he had his own problems and I had mine.

"I have a score to settle with a very bad man who has done very bad things." I said. "I will not be long."

"This is not acceptable to me, if not because I cannot afford to risk you, then because you are on my time." He said. "You will do as we agreed."

He was in the right and we both knew it. "That is business. This is personal," I replied. "He killed my mother."

Niall seemed to deliberate the matter. "He is human?"

A monstrous human but a human, I nodded. "Yes."

"Then allow me to be of service," He held his hand out in invitation to me. I placed my hand in his and, with his free hand; he materialized a golden pin from thin air. The space surrounding Niall became tight while his power sucked all the air from it. I didn't flinch when he poked my little finger. I was more curious than anything else as he squeezed the finger and my blood dropped to the ground.

"What is his name?" He asked.

"Matthew Ward," I replied.

"Matthew Ward, come to me."

There was no shimmer in the air like when the Fae used their means of travel. Much like the needle had materialized out of thin air, so did the man. He popped up in the place where the droplets of my blood had fallen. He was wearing a face mask, his hair was longer and had grayed, but it was him. I saw those eyes and I froze. He saw me and the hate rolled off him and crashed over me like a wave.

"You!" He screeched. He got to his feet and charged me.

Lattesta, who had been silent and watchful throughout all of this, made his move. He put a bullet in Matthew Ward's shoulder, bringing him to his knees while he screamed in pain, and then just as suddenly he began cackling. He removed his mask while he laughed and I saw the extent of his damages. A portion of his nose had been cut off, and his top lip had been cleaved from his face.

"Every vile and degrading thing your father did to me, I will do to you tenfold! Ten—" He was back to screeching.

Then his head exploded. Oddly enough, that was what snapped me out of it. The agents dove for cover as blood, brains, and bone went flying. They came up in a perimeter around me with guns up, searching for the threat. I looked to Niall. He was a faery, fully tapped into his powers. His ears were pointy and his skin was slightly aglow.

"Presumably there is nothing else to keep you from your obligations to me?" he asked calmly.

Even with all the training I had, I couldn't keep the shock off my face. I knew Niall was powerful but that… My eyes were wide as I shook my head. "No…"

He nodded his head and just as suddenly as he'd arrived he vanished. I looked behind me and saw Lattesta staring after him. He was the only one that was standing; the four others were losing the contents of their stomach. I couldn't blame them.

"What the hell was that?" Lattesta asked.

"The Prince of the Sky Fae," I said, "and if I told you anything else, he'd have to kill you."

In accordance with her customs, Chari's body was burned the day after she died. I didn't know her that well, but I went to the memorial service because Caspian did. They had worked together longer than I'd been alive. I found out that he met her when he was her Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut over thirty years ago. Every time he had to be relocated due to the threat of the Water Fae, Chari had followed.

"I'm sorry she's gone, Cas," I said.

What else could I say? He was my friend. Nothing would make him hurt less, not even the fact that Matthew Ward had met his end. I wanted to be there for him. I stayed another day, but all he wanted to do was work as his ode to her memory, so we worked. In the back of my mind, I admitted that Caspian was right about me and what revenge would have done. Given his age, I knew it wasn't the first time he had lost a mortal friend. I guess if you cared, it was just one of those things that never got any easier.

I returned home. Eric wasn't at the house in Bon Temps. It told me that Ocella was still here and I just couldn't seem to get used to the idea of him. Maybe if I tried I could, but I didn't think I should have to do all the work. Still, I wanted to see my husband and neither Ocella nor anyone else would prevent that objective. There was so much I wanted to tell Eric. I hated the fact that I was keeping things from him, especially now that the associated threats and the danger posed from them had passed.

I walked into the house in Shreveport. Eric wasn't there but Ocella was. This home wasn't nearly as big as the one I grew up in, but with present company, it felt like a goddamned shoe box. There was no use pretending he didn't make me sick. I ignored his scent and the void of his mind. I went up to the Master bedroom. I needed to shower, do laundry, and get gone.

I was loading the washer when I heard an odd sound. It was a muffled cry. I didn't even think on it. I went toward it. In the day chamber hidden under the house, I found Alexei and he wasn't alone. Beside him was a little girl. She couldn't have been more than eight. Her face was buried in her stuffed unicorn while she wept. It was clear that she had been taken from her bed. She was in her pajamas and bare feet.

"Alexei," I called.

The little girl looked at me before he did. His eyes seemed to be all over the place, tracking things only he could see.

"Who do you have with you?" I asked conversationally.

"Margo," he replied. "But she doesn't want to let me love her and it makes me angry, so I think I will kill her."

"I want to go home!" the girl wailed. "I want my mommy!"

I entered her mind and put her out. She was riling Alexei and he was closer to her than me. No matter how fast I moved, he could snap her neck before I got to her.

"She is tired," I said. I kept my voice calm, lulling. "Maybe there is something else you want to do, a puzzle, a video game, or perhaps a show. What kind of movies do you like? I like comedies personally."

"Mythical or fantasy, but I like some Japanese Anime," He said. He was talking but it wasn't to me. It was more like he was regurgitating information. I would take that, or anything that kept his attention from the helpless human child in the room.

"I loved 'Star Wars,'" I said inching into the room.

"That is Science fiction or Sci-fi for short," He said. "It is not the same."

"No, but I remembered how enthralled I was when I first saw it. Have you seen it?"

The glazed look faded as he seemed to engage in the conversation. He shook his head. "No, I have not seen this. Have you watched the Lord of The Rings?"

I shook my head. There was a beat of silence. I saw that I was losing him. "Tell me about it, and then I could tell you about Star Wars if you want."

That was the only invitation he needed. I got the story of the One true ring and how it took one unsuspecting, little creature called a Hobbit from a happy place called the Shire to an evil kingdom known as Mordor. With every word he spoke I inched more closely into the room and to the little girl who was in a house of horrors threatening to swallow her whole.

"What part did you love most?" Alexei asked.

At this point he appeared less manic and I was on the other side of the bed, beside the little girl. "When Gandalf the Grey translates the inscription on the One true ring to Frodo."

It was the saddest thing I think I have ever seen. Alexei's face lit up. He no longer even looked like a vampire. He looked like a child on Christmas morning. He had turned his back to the little girl, and was facing me with big brown eyes full of excitement, not at all warped or insidious. He simply looked like a boy his age should.

"I love that too!" he exclaimed. He clapped his hands and everything.

"One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness to bind them," He repeated.

"It was indeed a powerful moment," I agreed.

When I reached for the girl, his eyes zeroed in on my hand and it was clear he was undecided about biting it off. "When last did you feed?" I asked conversationally.

He stopped and seemed to think about it. "I do not know."

"There is blood upstairs," I told him. "It is bottled, but it will keep the hunger at bay and keep your mind clear so you can focus when I tell you about Star Wars. I think Frodo sounds a bit like Luke Skywalker."

Alexei left humming happily to himself. Relief didn't come. I felt as disgusting as Ocella because I was manipulating him. I was using what he loved to get him to do what I wanted. I knew it was wrong but there were two heart beats in this house and the one of the little girl didn't belong. I needed to get her home. I needed to stop the backlash on the vampires in this Republic. More importantly, I needed to protect Eric.

I heard the microwave open and that was my cue. I gathered the little girl in my arms and bolted from the house. It wasn't until I was several blocks away that I slowed down. Alexei hadn't gone into another tantrum. He wasn't following. I woke little Margo. I kept her just conscious enough to find her address, and then I broke into her house and had her back in bed within ten minutes. I'd already wiped the memories of the abduction. It would be nothing more than a bad dream and she would never again open a door, a window, or so much as a doggy door for a stranger. I'd been able to make Alexei smile if only for a second. I had been able to save a little girl. I felt good about me for a change when I turned onto my street.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The stench of blood and death was in the air permeating from the location of my home. I saw the car of Eric's dayman. When I entered the house, Alexei's fangs were still sunken in Bobby's corpse while he gyrated against it. Ocella was right there seated on the couch where it was clear he couldn't be bothered. He hadn't done a thing to save Bobby nor attempt to restrain his demented charge. The scene was so twisted and it was happening in my home! I lost it.

I tore into Alexei's mind. He dropped to the floor with his head in his hands. There was a moment where Ocella looked confused, and then his eyes turned to mine. I registered his shock and rage right before he flew at me. I could have jumped for joy. This was the opening that I had been begging for.

Ocella was powerful, there was no denying that. He was one the fastest vampires I'd ever faced off against, including my brothers and husband. It was clear he had no idea what I was. He also wasn't aiming to kill, pity that. In that moment, I would have happily returned the favor without thought.

When Ocella's hand came within a hair of my neck, I ducked the first attempt, and slapped away the second. Then I countered. I punched him in the face, and when I saw the blood began to trickle from his nose, I did something I'd never done before in my life, something I had been forbidden to do since the first training session I had with my brother. I lost control while in a fight and gave into my vampire instinct.

Every single dirty look, every insult, every single act of disrespect, and all the insecurities his presence in my marriage caused, I took all the emotion and it erupted in a flurry of fists. He fought back I assumed. I didn't know. I was on top of him pinning his arms down with my knees. All I felt was my left hand around his neck slamming his head off the floor and my right hammering into his face. There was so much blood, or maybe it was me, maybe I was seeing red. Already I could see his brains leaking from his head. I knew I should have stopped, but I couldn't. I was going to beat him into his final death.

Someone grabbed me from behind and I tore into their mind. I hoped they were vampire because if they were human, they were dead. I heard shouting, and then an invisible force cloaked me, keeping me frozen. I fought it, but I couldn't focus enough to mentally attack the person who was restraining me. Some sanity returned along with the realization that only one person could do this. Eric. Pam, I had attacked Pam. She was on the floor crumpled in a heap.

"What have you done?" My husband asked me. He looked utterly dismayed.

My only response was a look of defiance and more than a little hurt. Eric had asked me that with the corpse of his dayman in our living room. The portrait he had painted of me in bed was knocked off the wall. It was in pieces. Could he not smell the terror of a human stranger? Didn't he know what I'd done to help counter the madness in his vampire sibling?

Even if he did, would he care? He wouldn't. All Eric could ask about was Ocella.

"Let go of me. Now!" I growled.

I walked out of the house because it had been reduced to just four walls and a roof. It certainly no longer felt like a home. I drove to Bon Temps, showered and called for Preston to teleport me back to work. If I didn't get away, I didn't know what I would do. I was in my office staring the serum I'd made for Eric and stewing when Caspian burst in.

He kissed me full on the mouth. "I got it!" he said, cradling my face in his hands. "You're a freaking genius!"

Okay. "Can I have my face back?"

He let go of my face but took my hand and half dragged me to his office. "You know how you weren't sure about the application method?"

I nodded, but I don't think he noticed. He was practically vibrating he was so wired. "It has to be inhaled, look," He pulled me to my office where a faery male looked high and horny as all hell. When I said horny as hell I meant it. He looked tormented by his body's needs that he was undeniably quenching to fulfill.

"We'll only need a fraction of the formula this way if we apply it to both the males and females," I deduced. "The risk of Strep would be minimal."

He nodded with a huge grin on his face. "You did it," He said laughing. The tears of joy in his eyes touched me. "You fucking did it!"

"We did it," I said.

If I'd never appreciated Caspian before, I did at that moment. His discovery was able to distract me. We began playing with the formula that would save his species. That didn't make my night better, but it was good to feel as if I was succeeding in one facet of my life.

By the crack of dawn we had our first test couple. It came as no big shock that it was Colman who volunteered and with him was Claudine. I looked at her. The hope and apprehension on her face made her so human that I couldn't help but want to feel closer to her. She was my cousin by blood but there was a world that separated us that I couldn't get over.

Niall was in the room while Caspian and I administered the inhalers to our respective subjects. The first ten hours were uneventful. The couple sat and waited while we sat and watched them. Then suddenly they got hot and heavy. It happened so fast that I got an eyeful of Colman before I could avert my eyes.

There were many things I thought I might have to encounter on the road to repopulating an entire species, but making notes as they had headboard banging, neighbor alarming, screaming sex was so not one of them. It was like was nonstop Fae porno, being played in surround sound and 3D. The shit was crazy. They only stopped to eat. That portion was kind of sweet though.

"Is this the norm?" I asked Caspian. "Maybe we over shot the high?"

He shook his head happily with a big smile. How he managed to make it not perverted in light of the happenings around us was beyond me. He looked happy to be there and happy for them.

"You mimicked it perfectly. The females say it does this to the males who have agreed to breed them."

Quel romantic. In between the sexual haze, Colman hand-fed Claudine, and it wasn't until she was drowsy with overeating that he ate while she slept. Then he slept too, but not for long, and, once he woke it back to sex, falling asleep inside her and waking up thrusting to rouse her again.

Admittedly I knew that intercourse was part of the process of naturally repopulating a species but that was how I'd looked at it, clinically; sperm to egg, then gestation, birth, and done. Never did I imagine that I would be in the next room over, taking notes, and worse yet, going in to take vitals while the randy couple was passed out from vigorous bouts of passionate sex.

A day and a half later, Cas and I were using each other as props while we dozed off. That was when Claudine emerged from the room. She shoved me so hard that I fell out my seat. She kissed Caspian to wake him. There was only one reason why she thought it would be safe to do so after what she had done to me. I couldn't retaliate.

"Nerd boy, it worked. I feel it," She gushed. "I feel it!"

He jumped to his feet with his hands on her middle. "Are you sure?"

She giggled and nodded vigorously. "Yes." Her voice was thick with tears.

For some reason I looked away. This moment wasn't just momentous, it was personal. I didn't belong. I saw her hug Caspian from my peripheral. He was almost blue in the face when she was done but I'd never seen him so happy. He was trying to look professional and leave room for error, but he couldn't. He tackled, and then hugged me. It was hard not to get lost in his excitement.

For the sake of caution, no other subject was going to receive the treatment. The news that the Captain of the Sky Guard had conceived a child was enough. The fifteen females from the first group were just the beginning. All of the Sky Fae realm had emptied into the lab in the span of an afternoon.

"She wasn't supposed to tell anyone!" I snapped at Caspian.

"She didn't have to," he told me with a sad smile. "They can sense it."

Damn. "Since you're the face, you can tell them that they all have to wait until her child is born."

That was the best case scenario because Claudine had a brother who could see into the body. When she gave birth he could examine her child to make sure all was well. When he gave the all clear, then our method could become common practice.

How was it that I had so much success in my work life, but at home, I wasn't only losing, I was failing. I'd told myself I wouldn't call Eric, but I did. He didn't call back. It was tempting to continue to hide out in Florida, but I went home. It was no shock that I was alone. I was roused from sleep by a scent so familiar that even before I was fully awake, my thighs were parting and my body was aching to receive him. I was so starved for Eric's touch and attention that I would have taken just the physical release. He demanded more, and he took all I had to give. He kissed me, and his hands, so talented and so skilled in the art of pleasuring me, didn't fail. I gave into him.

If he was a drug, then he was my drug and I knew I would never be free of the addiction. I didn't want to be. I forgot that I should be angry or unsure about being with him. Nothing made more sense than when he was between my thighs, riding me, and bringing me to heaven and back. The way we made love was just like it was before Ocella, before my work with the Fae, and before the Republic.

Eric made love to me as though it was just us. It was too much to handle, but he didn't stop. Eric bit me as he came and made me cum too. He drank his fill but didn't halt his claiming. All I wanted to do was surrender to him, and I did because I felt safe and loved enough to do so. It felt so good to be desired, owned, and possessed by him.

It was almost dawn. Eric was still inside me as though he was loath to part with my warmth. I wanted nothing more to have him fall asleep inside me. He couldn't.

"They are gone," He said as if he could read my mind. "Indira learned of the deaths and the abduction of the little human girl. She informed the other delegates in the Republic. It was put to a vote, Ocella lost. He had to put Alexei down or vacate the states. He chose to leave."

I couldn't feel anything other than joy at the news. Then I thought of the excited expression on Alexei's face as he had regaled me with happenings of the Lord of the Rings. He had looked like a boy his age should, now the best he could hope for was a quick and clean death. He wouldn't even get that. Ocella had chosen to extend his suffering and pain. That shouldn't shock me. Ocella was what was wrong with him, but that was who he was stuck with, forever.

* * *

><p>8 months later…<p>

With Ocella gone and the birth of Claudine's twins, the thought of Alexei still entered my mind from time to time. All I wished for was his freedom. I didn't know anything and that bothered me more. It was that and I had never told Eric about the Matthew Ward incident or seeing my brother.

I just wanted to get back to where we were and I felt I couldn't. Eric wasn't the same or maybe I was reading too much into whatever damage I felt Ocella had done to our relationship. That wasn't it though, he was just acting off. I couldn't put my finger on it, and I had no reason to feel that way because things were better than they had been in a long time.

It was almost New Year's and the sun was coming up. "I need to get to ground," Eric said.

I arched a brow. I had given him the serum and we'd been having our time in the sun again. "The nights are long and I find that I do not mind the sun then, so I am saving the serum."

He got up but I grabbed his hand. "Are you okay? I feel like you're not a hundred percent with me lately."

He smiled my smile and how easily it quelled my worry. "I can promise you that you will never be free of me, not in this lifetime, not ever."

That was fine by me. "I don't ever want to be, Eric," I said. "I swear, I don't know what I would do if..."

"You must trust me," He replied. "You trust that I love you more than I love myself."

"I don't want you to," I said immediately.

"I didn't have a choice when you were gone," he said.

I didn't know what to say. This was the first time that he had brought up me leaving or the time before the monarchy.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't come back," He admitted.

"Why?" I asked. "I said I would, I promised you."

"Yes, you did," He answered. "I believed you, but distance has a way of making things clear and when you know you are flawed, you wonder if anyone can love you. When someone does, you wonder if they can't see your flaws or if they love you in spite of them."

I got up and wrapped my arms around him. "I see who you are; flaws and all and I'm still in love with you."

To me Eric was Eric. It didn't matter that he was no longer a sheriff. His personality never changed. He was a Viking. He was the one person who didn't lie to me. He was my first love and my forever. In that moment, I decided that my time with the Fae was done. I needed to focus on him and our life together.


	18. Chapter 18

Since the birth of the first Fae child, my days in Florida and my employment with Wyman had been numbered anyway. That was the argument I was using with Caspian. I had put my notice in two weeks ago and every day since that faery hounded me but my mind was made up. The truth was I needed to focus on Eric and our life together. I had also agreed to consult remotely with Caspian, but I was no longer going to be dividing my time and my attention.

There was nothing to be sad about. I had done what I had set out to do. My blood debt was paid and with every birth of a Fae child I was adding to the nest egg. I no longer had to work. I had done well, and I felt good about what I'd done for someone other than vampires. Usually, they were the only ones that mattered.

The other major reason to cut my ties with the Sky Fae was Breandan

No matter what progress we'd made the faeries were still heading to war. I could feel it. In the past two trips I'd made to Florida the tension had only mounted. There was going to be blood. I needed to cut my ties. I'd done what I'd said I would. I would take the fond memories before they became bad. I had to admit that I would miss Caspian. Nerdy pals like that didn't grow on trees. Still, I had to what was best for Eric and me.

My bags were packed for what would be the very last time. I would have a final meeting with Niall where he would sign off on my payment requisitions, and then I would be kissing this generic dorm room goodbye. I smiled at the Fangtasia annual calendar that was hanging on my wall. It was always January. On the spread Eric was January and let me tell you, that the man looked good in snow and fur. I smiled at the image as Preston took my hand.

The picture of my husband and all lusty thoughts evaporated once the ground solidified under my feet. Preston had brought us smack dab into a war zone. I looked at his face and by the look of horror on it, he hadn't been expecting this either. He flew into action, forcing me to the ground and jumping into it sword first. I heard the shouts and screams and could smell the scent of fear and blood that were rank in the air.

The Sky Fae had drawn their line in front of a house. It was the safe house I'd been brought to in the Everglades. Even from this distance the scents were familiar. I'd treated all the females within and I knew they were all in varying stages of pregnancy. Caspian was with them. My guess was that he was trying to get them out while the fighters defended the parameter. I heard the panicked cries.

"They have used the water to deflect the wards and trap us inside!"

"Get the cars!"

"We are going to die!" Another voice said.

My adopted father used to tell me that knowing when to fight was more important than knowing how. "Know the fight. Know your enemy," I whispered.

This wasn't my fight. I was just here for a check. I had made sure Caspian knew everything I did. They knew that. They would protect him above all else. My conscience should be free. I didn't have a place in this fight. I did not! Niall arrived and with him were Colman, Claudine, and seven other rangers. They were all in uniform. I breathed in a sigh of relief. For a second there, I was afraid I would have to do something stupid.

Apparently Claudine might be as big a threat as Niall had claimed; she had wings. Upon arrival she sprouted them with blazing blue swords in her hands. She cut down an opponent as she made her way to the house. When she emerged there was a woman in her arms, and it was clear that she intended to fly her away to safety.

It was so stupid. The move was so obvious that anyone could predict it. Volleys of arrows were sent her way. She dove and fell to dodge them, but one was imbedded in her left wing and she went down with the heavily pregnant woman in her arms. She took the brunt of the fall to keep the woman safe; however, it cost her free arm which was now broken and a wing that was bent awkwardly.

_"People will always show you who they are when you present them with what they want most in the world."_

What I wanted more than anything was my life with Eric before all this, brothers, and ending his Maker and my blood debt. That was what I wanted more than anything and picking sides in a war that seemed never-ending was the last thing I needed. Did I have no responsibility to the lives that I had helped bring about? Was that who I was, a mercenary who got paid for a job but would do nothing more? I saw someone moving in on Claudine. My decision was made.

I moved and tackled the Water Fae to the ground. I broke the mace wielding female's face with a well-placed head butt, and then I grabbed the sword at her hip.

"Get back inside, Annika!" I shouted at the pregnant woman. She looked at me with eyes filled with fear, and then down at Claudine. "She's had worse, trust me. Move your ass, now. Please!"

I pulled Claudine to her feet. "This attack plan is bullshit," I said watching as the Sky Fae were getting their asses kicked all over the place.

"It is an evacuation," She said. "We have to get…"

I feared as much. Breandan knew every Sky Fae would die for a pregnant female and it was precisely what he was counting on. He didn't need to fight them, and honestly, it didn't appear as though he was. He was targeting the house, playing on their fears, and they had taken his bait.

So far, other than Claudine's wounding, Niall was the only one who was seeing real combat. Once they took him out, every elemental attack or hex he was blocking would come through and the fight would be over. That was the aim, to kill him first. I knew it because if I was attacking him, it was exactly what I would do.

"Call them back," I said.

"Why?" Her eyes were narrowed at me, scrutinizing, trying to penetrate. "What are you going to do?"

"What I do best," I told her, shrugging out of my sweater.

"Rangers," Claudine called. "To me."

The fighters immediately obeyed as if they were a single celled organism, even those I thought had been too wounded to move. They all returned to her side. I looked around and saw Niall was in a cloud of air that seemed impossible to touch regardless of who tried or what they threw at him. I stole two short swords from a random female.

"Don't let them draw you out no matter what. Niall and I will draw the fight."

"Can you back that level of arrogance?" Colman asked.

I snorted a laugh. "Yep!"

My whole life I'd been the fastest, though it was something I had to work at. I noticed that Niall was surrounded and that his swirling vortex of power was getting smaller. Before anyone saw me I had already incapacitated two Water faeries.

Others flashed to avoid me, but their movement patterns were predictable. I fought my way to Niall and saw whatever he was doing was starting to take its' toll. He was leaning on his cane. I caught an arrow that would have hit him in the back. He swayed on his feet and I caught him before he fell. He needed to sign my check!

"If I gave you power what would you do with it?" He rasped.

Gone was the Prince who had gone tit for tat with me. He looked like an old man who was tired, so very tired.

"Win."

His hand rose to my forehead and it felt as if tornado of power tore through me. I didn't have to worry about fighting it or controlling it. I kept Niall at my back and rose to my feet knowing that for his enemies the fight was lost. My consciousness wasn't though. I was there witnessing the power of a Fae Prince exploding through me.

Energy was coursing through me and unimaginable power was in my veins. I unleashed it all, losing me in the process. I didn't awaken until it was over and I was the only one left standing. I looked down at my body. I was hurt, but I didn't feel the pain or the blood leaking out of me. I felt powerful. Trudging over to Niall, I looked over him. He looked worse. Not only was his face lined, it was pale with a greenish undertone. Crumbling to my knees, I brought his hand back to my forehead.

"Take back your faery shit!" I said. "Just sign my check already."

The last thing I saw was his smile.

When I came to I was in a room I did not recognize. The scent alone told me I was in a place I'd never been before… Faery. If I had to describe it, I would call it York peppermint patty. It smelled so good. That was before the scent of faery blood. It was everywhere. I knew that in this place not even an ancient vampire could control themselves. I could though; not to mention I was too weak to bite anyone.

"Sookie?" Someone called. Caspian. I recognized his voice and his scent, but was unsure as to why he was shaking me. "Are you alright?"

"What the hell kind of doctor are you? Shaking an unconscious person?" I groaned.

"Not the practicing kind," He said, and then he drew me into a hug that I couldn't help but return. "I am glad you are well, my friend."

"Dying was not on my list of things to do today."

"Actually that was yesterday," He said.

"Eric…" I whispered.

Shit. Pushing off him, I got to my feet. I felt unsteady and the pain in my head was present, but otherwise I felt fine.

"Is pissed off, but I informed him directly at great personal sacrifice."

I winced. That was to be expected. At the end of the day, Eric was a vampire and I was his mate. He would shoot first if he thought I was in trouble. Only when he was sure everyone was dead would he ask any questions. The fact that Caspian was my friend was the only thing that saved him, which of course was the reason he had been chosen as the bearer of bad news.

"Yeah," Caspian said. "Put me through two walls before I got a word out."

"Sorry about that," I said. "You should have called him or something."

"I would have but I don't get reception up here."

He waved an elegant hand around the room. The room was something straight out a fairytale. The floors and ceilings were made of stone but adorned with luxurious rugs and curtains. Looking out from the bed I had a clear view of the world outside my window.

The clouds seemed to be alive and they weren't white against the clear blue sky. Every color imaginable and some that weren't were woven into the nebulous forms. They were woven like the finest threads of an intricate blanket dancing and merging to form elaborate designs that decorated the sky. I stared in disbelief. Disbelief turned to awe when it morphed to show on my face.

The images continued to morph. Somehow I knew that no one was reading my mind. This was a collection of all the Sky Fae with whom I had come into contact. I could tell by the way the perception of my features changed. I looked sinister and evil when I had attacked the ranch years ago.

Yet the skill in which I fought was not lost. That moment when Claudine had announced she was pregnant was up there. I thought I'd been quick to cover my happiness for her, but apparently I wasn't. It was right there in the sky for me, for all to see. Lastly was the battle I had fought with them.

I knew I'd won but I didn't recall how. There were so many views that had been offered. In my consciousness I had blacked out until it had been over, but I saw it now. It was as if the Water Fae were trying to keep up with lightening and failing. I was moving faster than I ever thought possible. My mind, while unconscious, must have been subconsciously moving just as fast, calculating and preparing for the attacks to come. I might as well have been a fortune teller.

In the motion picture in the sky, raw energy was pouring out of body. My hands moved my fingers and the very air around me bent to my will. The curses that had been thrown my way were tinged red and brown in the sky. With frightening ease, I deflected and countered them while still fighting with the short swords.

"You're kind of a big deal around here," Caspian said. "Like history scrolls, big."

"I'd say."

I saw Niall take his power back and saw myself fall. Of all the faeries in the realm, Colman had caught me with care no less. My head was resting on his chest and everything. The Water Fae were rounded up and were made to swear a vow of peace with all those who were peaceable or they were executed. None of the executions were glossed over or rejoiced, not even Breandan's or Neave's (I killed Lochlan in battle).

With every Water Fae who was turned to dust, thunder boomed and lightning lit the cloud-based images. When it was over the scene of the battle was filled with Sky Fae. The ones from the house had braved the outside, sensing the danger was over. Others were Rangers who were late to the fight.

I snorted a laugh. Niall was good. Even if I wrote the propaganda I'd just seen, I don't think I could have done a better job. The pregnant Fae were front and center. They were surrounded by the Rangers and their mates. Then the sky went back to normal; if normal meant clouds having colors and making motion pictures of what was under them. The message was clear; the war was over and their people would live on. To those who still had issues with half breeds, one had saved them and they had to swallow their issues.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Give me a lift out of here," I told Caspian.

"There's going to be a thing..." He said.

I was already shaking my head to refuse.

"What will it hurt?" he asked. "It is daytime at home and this will be a proper farewell to one whom we consider a great friend, all of us."

I thought about it. Eric wasn't on his serum so he wouldn't miss me. I would get home before dark.

Say what you want about them, faeries knew how to party. I knew they had no respect for personal space. On the middle plain they feared me enough to keep their distance. No more. Once I was dressed and out of the room, I was hugged, kissed on the cheek, and patted on the back by more people than I could count. There was a baby in my lap and I didn't even know to whom it belonged.

It was a girl. I later found out that her mother was Janiya, a defector from the Water Fae. The father had been a human she didn't know. Whatever her origins, the little girl seemed perfectly happy slobbering on the ring of my left hand. I let her. Thoughts I'd never had before of a child of my entered my mind. It couldn't be now, but with this warm, squirming bundle in my lap I couldn't help the tug I felt in my womb.

The silence from the banquet hall full of people made me look up. They stood as Niall entered the room. I stood too because I felt like being polite. I watched the Sky Prince make his way to the place where I was and bowed his head to me. In sync, the whole damn room dropped to take a knee. I gave him a full curtsy because this was his castle, but there was no way I was taking a knee.

"Sookie Stackhouse," Niall said. "Emancipator of the dead, Seer of those who are living, Defender of the Fae Princess of the Sky and Vampire Kingdom of Nevada,"

I obeyed. Niall took my free hand and clasped it in both of his. I didn't know what to say to that but I didn't have to say a thing. The room erupted in as much chaos as I thought well-dressed faeries were capable.

"Long may she live and evermore will she find an ally and refuge in the Sky wherever she may be," Niall said and that only made the crowd crazier. To think I was missing Jeopardy for this, unbelievable! Still, I had to admit that this much collective joy was almost contagious. It would be infectious if Eric was here, but still there wasn't a single frown or look of indifference to be seen. In the castle were thousands of overjoyed Fae.

Being BFF's with me scored Caspian major points. He had been bombarded with more marriage and mating proposals than he could keep up with. I got my share too. Seeing this whole new world had been great, but I wanted Eric.

Nothing my senses perceived meant anything if I couldn't share it with him. It was more than that; I wanted to go home to all things familiar and real. More than anything I wanted to feel the contrasting temperature of Eric's body against mine.

"I thought this would be enough to make you see that you belong here," I didn't have to turn to know the speaker was Niall. Even here amongst so many Fae, he alone was cloaking. It made him stand out, kind of like a low fat cupcake next to several slabs of chocolate cake.

"You are at the pinnacle of glory here. Mothers are naming their daughters after you, in the hope that their children will reach a fraction on your greatness."

There went the novelty of my name. "You sound like my dad," I told him honestly. "When I was little, he used to fly us to the tallest building in his state and make me jump."

"Obviously he did not allow you to fall to your death. So why would he do this to you?" The Prince asked, clearly baffled.

Our game was done so I let myself smile as I told him the truth. "Because the higher you climb the longer the fall if you fail. He told me never to forget every step that took me where I went, whether I was on an ant hill or a hundred-story Skyscraper."

If by some measure of insanity I was considering staying, there was nowhere to go but down. To stay on top I would have to go back to being the Queen my father had raised, and I didn't want to be her. I valued the lessons she learned, but I loved the woman I became when I was free to feel, free to love Eric.

Niall and I were silent for several minutes. "A part of me hoped that you wouldn't return my powers after I'd imparted them onto you."

Oddly enough I knew that. I felt as though we were alike and that he did too. That was why he had so freely given what he couldn't have easily had returned. He had given his power with a hunch that I was the one person who didn't want them. It would mean being responsible for all these people. I wanted nothing to do with it. If that had been his mode of retirement, he had miscalculated.

"The cost of power is steep."

I didn't want power. I didn't want a throne. I wanted the same thing I'd always wanted, my husband. It hadn't changed no matter who was asking.

He nodded. "Come," he said holding his hand out. "I will return you to your husband."

From across the room, I found Caspian and waved goodbye. He was doing a good job of keeping up with two dance partners, but he managed a wave and smile. I looked around and the faces I recognized stared back at me. Claudine was with her siblings. Dillon, her father, was seated beside the vacant throne that was meant for Niall.

Colman, who had been acting as my arch nemesis until yesterday, was in a quiet corner with his back to the wall. The Sky Ranger was making googly faces at his son while his daughter hung from a sling across his chest. There were many others. Some caught my eye, smiled and nodded. Others were too busy enjoying the moment to notice. Both reactions touched me equally.

Taking the job wasn't just about me needing money, or the blood debt I owed, or me wanting to earn my own stripes. Since that day at the ranch, I'd been carrying guilt about what I'd done to the faeries. My upbringing didn't let me register it. I couldn't see it, but now that it was gone I saw it for what it was. I'd been raised to pay my debts, and now the faeries and I were even.

"I'm ready," I said taking his hand.

When our skin touched, he stilled. It must have been my imagination because he wasn't even looking my way as the scene in the castle began to fade.

It was just after first dark when Niall returned me to my home. With a nod at one another, we parted ways for what was the last time. Eric wasn't in Bon Temps or the house in Shreveport. It wasn't unheard of for him to crash at Fantasia, especially if I wasn't home. That was where I went to wait. Seeing I was already in a pretty dress and smelled like a thousand faeries, I didn't change my clothes. I would go surprise him there.

Early as it was there were some vampires there already. Like a child, I eagerly awaited the one person I wanted most. When Eric walked in he wasn't alone. Ocella was with him at his side. Behind the pair were Pam and Alexei. It was then that I noticed that there was no one in the bar but vampires and a few human employees.

I tapped at Eric's mind and he denied me access. He was making a bee line for me, but his form was…frightening. I felt as if I was looking at a face I knew, but it was no longer familiar. He wasn't sporting my smile. He wasn't even looking at me.

"I am here to free myself of my marriage to you," Eric said.

My mind kind of short circuited, it seemed to trip over every single word a handful of times, making it difficult to make sense of that sentence. Two other vampires slid up on both sides of him. I'd never seen them before. They weren't residents; they looked like vampires in any other monarchy, rigid. One held a piece of paper that already sported my signature. In a distant part of my mind I knew I'd seen the stack of papers before. Eric had given that one piece to me to sign before I left just days ago, before I left for Florida. I hadn't even read it before signing my name! I just thought it was a something to do with Bruce and our taxes.

Beneath my signature was Pam's and across from hers was Ocella's. Eric signed and while every sane thought still left in my mind was screaming for me to act, I just couldn't. I literally watched the ink dry on the dotted line. I looked up to catch Eric's eyes, but he wouldn't look at me. Just as the procession arrived it receded, and then like an elegant dagger Freyda entered the club. The whole thing became sickeningly clear.

_'We came from Canada and made way from there.'_ Ocella had told Eric so very long ago. _'Our stay in Oklahoma was the most pleasant and promising.'_

What I thought had been conversation was a plot. I stood there shocked beyond all possible reason. It wasn't until Eric stood beside her did I snap.

"Eric!" I called.

I don't know what I was expecting. It certainly wasn't for him to turn and face me. When he did, all my thoughts evaporated. My eyes were pleading with him.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Don't make it any harder than it has to be."

Ocella chimed in and said, "No, she must certainly should not. She has done enough to you, to all of you."

Ocella was facing the room and a part of me was tracking him, but I was still watching Eric. "Thank you all for allowing me to return so I may free my creation from this mutt." He sneered at me. "She is the reason why Eric is no longer a sheriff. She is the reason why your great queen fell. She is a spy for the King of Nevada!"

The aggression in the room rose. Almost every single vampire had their eyes on me. I only had eyes for one person and he wouldn't look at me. Not even as my secrets were exposed to a roomful of people who would kill me, slowly. He didn't as much as blink.

"Do you deny this?" Paloma asked. I could hear her fangs in every syllable.

I didn't say a thing.

"Damn you! Answer her!" Someone else growled.

My silence should have been answer enough, but not for Ocella. "She is guilty! She is why so many of your colleagues fell. Now is the hour for her to answer her crimes against us, my friends."

With a final look of disgust aimed at me, he turned and left taking Alexei with him. Pam went too, and then Eric. Freyda looked at me, and it was clear that she didn't think I was worth the trip she'd taken to come steal my husband. I wanted to beg him to stay. I wanted to give into the tidal wave of pain crushing my chest. Tears stung my eyes and it was then that my training kicked in. My heart might be on the floor, but my body refused to give into emotion in front of so many people. I held my head high and I stood taller as I faced a bar full of angry vampires bent on revenge.

I was sitting at the little kitchen table in the farm house. I wasn't sure I was awake though. I wasn't sure anything that had had happened today had been real. The banquet in the Fae realm, the…I couldn't even bring myself to say it in my head. I couldn't process it. It couldn't be real. By the presence of the hostile Long Shadow sitting across from me, I knew it was.

Back at the club, Paloma wanted to kill me and she wasn't alone. Indira stepped in and reminded everyone of the system, and there had to be a vote. My guilt wasn't debated because I didn't care to argue it. I was driven back to Bon Temps presumably because no one would hear me scream and there was a handy cemetery next door.

Thalia and Paloma walked into the house. "Indira has the numbers," Paloma said. "It was close, but it has been decided that she is to die by fire."

"That is too good for you," Long Shadow hissed, getting to his feet.

Thalia watched impassively while Long Shadow tied me to the chair where I was seated. I didn't fight. A sick part of me felt like if I didn't fight, Eric would come back if only because I needed him. I waited. The vampires filed out of the house and I waited for Eric. I smelled gasoline and I was still waiting for my husband to come back. I was his mate and he was all I had, he knew that. He wouldn't just abandon me. He couldn't, he had some plan.

I smelled smoke and saw it rise, but I refused to believe that any of this was real. Flames roared as fire consumed the house. Glass cracked and exploded. In the midst of that, I heard my house phone ringing. There was nothing I could do about that or the fact that I was going to burn to death. Strangely, that sounded less painful than what I felt at the moment. When the fire reached the kitchen I watched the path of the flames in morbid fascination. How long would it take for me to die? Would being part vampire work for or against me? Smoke was blinding and suffocating me, and I wondered if I would live to actually feel the bite of the flames.

A pair of hands slammed into my shoulders and yanked, hard. My chair fell back but never hit the ground. The breathlessness and the twinkling of light were familiar. I'd used the Fae mode of transportation enough to recognize it. I came up coughing and gasping for air. Whoever had gotten me out of the house was doing much of the same. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I was actually able to see. I was in back in my dorm room in Florida. Caspian was there beside me. He looked worse than I did. His face was covered in soot. The length of his left arm was sporting a nasty looking burn.

"How did you know?" I asked. Maybe Eric had sent him?

"The Prince had a vision. He said to watch that house. He didn't know why though. I didn't know what to make of it either so I went in search of you. I've been calling too. I stopped at your other house, the vampire bar, and the shifter bar. By the time I arrived back there…" It was almost too late.

Eric hadn't sent him. Eric had left me to fend for myself.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

It happened then. I fell apart utterly and completely. I cried for so long it felt as if my eyes would bleed. I sobbed so hard it racked my whole body and none of it did a thing to diminish my pain.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: PrettyBee, I really wished you had an account so I could PM you and I couldn't not say this. So sorry for putting you on the spot but here goes...I loved your review. It was constructive (if only a little sardonic...the portion about not being a woman until you have used those ovaries...LOL). In all seriousness though, your review was indeed very well thought out and offered great insight.

I wonder if you would consider being my critic, not to say that I felt like you were criticizing or flaming me in ANY way, let's face it flamers just don't have the brain power and yours showed the total opposite of that. You told me what you liked, didn't like and you shared your disappointment in what you feel is an overdone angle in FF as well as many predictions. I am so tempted to engage said predictions but I won't.

I will say this, I vehemently disagree that your expectations are too high. So please stick with me and keep your expectations all the way up.

* * *

><p>Chapter 20<p>

I'd broken down, cried, and once the tears stopped it seemed as if my ability to feel did as well. My legs had fallen asleep. That was what it felt like, except the numbness was tinged with pain and it had crept into every inch of my body. I didn't feel hunger, thirst, nor did I notice being cold or wet. Just as the numbness crept into my body, a haze had entered and shrouded my mind. The haze made it hard to form coherent thoughts while at the same time making it impossible for the thoughts of others to penetrate.

It never even registered to any of my sensibilities that Caspian shouldn't be bathing me or trying to spoon feed me sips of water. He tried to talk to me and was always there holding my hand, but I was just recording the actions. I had nothing to offer in return. It occurred to me on some level that having him gaze at me with pity should infuriate me. I felt nothing. I don't know how much time passed but I somehow became comfortable with the numbness and the all but continuous state of lethargy. I spent more time asleep than awake, and I was increasingly turning weaker maybe one of these times I wouldn't wake up anymore.

"Are you mad, Caspian?" Someone shouted. I couldn't grasp enough of my own thoughts to recognize if the voice was unknown or familiar.

"I know she would never want anyone to see her in this way." That one I knew, Caspian.

I blinked my eyes open; it took more effort than I thought possible to keep them that way.

"Do you not know what will happen to you if she dies under your care?" The unidentified voice asked.

"I know…I know but I just thought she needed time."

I heard a growl, and then footsteps. Claudine's face was over mine. She blew on my face and my eyes closed, albeit sluggishly; they reopened, and then drooped closed once again. They didn't remain open until my third attempt.

"This is very bad. Her reflexes are erratic," She murmured anxiously.

"Her body is failing, and her pulse dipped much too low this morning. I gave her my blood, but I am at a loss at what else to do. You have to help me."

Faery blood, which might explain why I was able to follow the events so clearly. If asked, I might be able to explain how Hell had taken my heart and soul just yesterday, but in some way, that did not give justice to this breakdown even to my grief-stricken mind.

"You should not have undertaken the task in the first place," She admonished firmly. "Have you tried touch and just lying with her?"

"Yes," he replied. "It has no noticeable effect. I'm not certain if it's due to her part-vampire attributes or if she may just be too far gone."

"How much blood did you give her?" She queried.

Caspian growled and it was a reaction that from him sounded positively foreign to me. I don't know why, perhaps it was solely because I've never heard it before.

"If you think your one hundred percent uncut blood will help her, then just do it already!"

I was listening though my autonomic functions were barely there. I was blinking at random and inappropriate points, thus keep me from following their faces. My mouth was pried open, and then closed. I felt the warm sugary taste of what I presumed was faery blood. Claudine and Caspian stayed, each lying on either side of me. They were waiting though I couldn't recall what for. Then I faded once more into the blackness before it came to me.

The lethargy remained, consuming as ever. The numbness would never leave me; I needed rescuing from an anguish of a torturous pain that no one should have to endure. I expected to see Claudine but when my eyes opened again she was gone. Caspian wasn't at my bedside either. The faery present was familiar at least his eyes were, much like looking in the mirror. They were the unique color and shape as mine. I knew who he was and, by the look on face, he knew I knew. The pad of his thumb was rubbing my cheek, and then he vanished! I stared at the place where he'd been but he never returned. Caspian appeared shortly afterward.

"Was that…" as he threw himself at me.

He was talking through his tears and it was only then it occurred to me that I had spoken. It was more than that; my thoughts were clear. I was still numb though it was only in body, not in spirit or mind.

"Claudine says your body has no will to live," Caspian said, pulling away, "I do not agree. I know your heart is broken, Sookie. You need something of purpose. It is not your husband or marriage, your work, you, or even me, but there needs to be something or someone for which you must endure. Anything, just one single thing that will ensure you will not wither and die this way."

I tried to nod but could only manage to make my head lull to one side. "My Dad," I croaked.

It hurt to talk.

"Fintan was just…"

"No… I want my D_ad_."

He pulled a phone from the pocket of his jeans. I reached for it, but all I managed was to make my hands tremble. It could be from lack of use or fear, and I didn't know. I still wasn't even convinced I wanted to live. I just knew I didn't want to hurt Caspian. He was my friend who had more than earned my loyalty and love. I rattled off the number that I had memorized since I was three. He dialed it and held the phone to my ear. It was the middle of the day, but, not surprisingly, my father answered.

"Daddy," I rasped.

"Shy…"

There was so much I needed and wanted to say. I needed to tell him he had been right and that I was so sorry. I wanted to sob; to allow the newly festering sore inside of me out but I didn't. I'd disappointed him enough for one millennium. I wasn't worthy of his forgiveness and I feared I would never be absolved. It hurt, though at this particular time it wasn't what I needed; it was his mercy for which I was begging.

"Help," was all I could force out. While I was not crying, my voice was so small and so sad and so utterly pathetic even to my own ears. It made my father pause for a second but then he took control of the situation.

"Tell me where you are," he replied.

There was no tenderness in his voice. He didn't try to placate me with empty sentiments. His question was like the orders he had always given. Strangely enough, it helped me keep it together in order to focus with the modicum of control I had left.

Though I was slow on the draw, I still attempted to answer. "Um..."

"That is not information." He snapped. "Climate, time of day, an estimate of your location; give me something useful."

"University of Florida," I said. "Faculty dorm A…A532."

"Are you safe?"

I gave a weak nod.

"I asked you a question,"

"Yes, it is safe."

"Stay where you are," He ordered. "Sai're is on his way to you." Then he hung up.

Caspian was staring at me. All I managed was a another nod. It was enough for him. He sat by my bedside and took my hand. Seconds turned to minutes or hours. I didn't know. I lost track of time again, but not my consciousness. When I looked up my shadow was throwing slightly longer reflections. I knew the instant Sai arrived on campus. The mental slap against my skull could only be one person. Sai was a subtle as a tank.

"My brother is here," I told Cas.

"He'll take care of you?" He asked. "He can save you from this?

It was clear that he didn't even know what 'this' was. I nodded.

"Anyway you can, please just let me know you are well."

"I will."

He hugged me. "Thank you," I said "For everything."

I knew what it meant to express those words of gratitude to a faery, but I couldn't help it. Caspian hadn't just kept me alive, he had kept my body clean, and he had tried to hide my shame. If the world ended tomorrow, I would have him to thank for witnessing it. He hadn't ever given up on me, even though I had and everything else.

He nodded his head at me for what had to be the first time. "You are most welcome, my friend. One day we'll laugh about how this felt worse than it actually was."

I wanted to smile too, but I felt as though my face had forgotten that simple reaction. He disappeared just as Sai was mangling the door knob to force his way into the dorm room.

"You. Little. Shit!" he growled, stalking closer. "Do you have any idea who much trouble you caused me?"

As my big brother carried me off, I spared a glance for what had been not just a place of employment, but my refuge. I didn't remember much of the trip. By dark, I was back in my childhood home, the only one I'd ever belonged in. It was the only one left in this world for me. Sai left me in the capable hands of Doctor Wexler. It said something about the state I was in because he donated blood that Genie began transfusing into my veins almost immediately. Sai lingered, and once he saw what he needed to about my health, he left. Genie tried to talk to me but I didn't have the energy.

I lay in my king-sized canopy bed and waited for the numbness or emptiness of before. No one here would allow me die, so I was able to retreat back into myself, into a place where I wasn't living in Hell. I craved that empty abyss more than my next meal, but it didn't come. Whatever the faery with eyes like mine had done wore off, but not entirely.

I didn't feel the need to eat or drink water. I felt the pangs and pains of it though. My fangs tingled with my body's need for blood, something that had never happened. My stomach cramped from hunger, but still I couldn't leave the comfort and safety of my bed. This numbness didn't come with oblivion unfortunately. I was completely conscious. Claudine was right. I was going to die a broken beaten thing except I didn't want that. I just lay there, wasting away knowing and hating the fact, but I just couldn't make myself move.

Unlike Caspian, Doctor Wexler was familiar with my physiology. When Sai's blood faded, he stuck in IV's of fluids. Then he transfused human blood into my blood for a while with small amounts of vampire blood in between. He continued trying to talk in attempt to get me to play our usual games. When that didn't work he just went on to tell me everything that he was doing as if he was waiting for me to add something. I had nothing to say.

Amelia came too. She gave up talking to me after my second week home. She just lay in bed with me whenever she was there. Zee came off his worldwide tour early. He crawled in bed beside me. He sang to me and painted my nails. I was able to keep track of time here, every day when he came to check on me Genie told me. He knew how not knowing bothered me. I wondered if he knew that, as everything else, time was meaningless to me also.

Ollie came. My brother talked to me about what was going on in the world and what he thought I could add. Nim came mostly in the dead of night and held my hand as he had done when I was clumsy three-year-old running to keep up with vampires. Sai came and glared at me. Without being able to kick my ass into submission he was at a loss. His visits were short, but oddly he was the only one who could punch through the haze if only to torment me further. In the five weeks that I'd been home, he never failed to remind me how unpleasant I looked and smelled, and today he had something much worse.

"Your father has received a wedding invitation from his old friend, the Queen of Oklahoma," He said. "She is wedding The Viking. The invitation did not say whether or not the Groom's discarded mate was invited, but I think you could attend setting a precedent for discarded mates everywhere. You do so love being a trend setter."

"Sai're," Ollie growled disgusted. "Have you no mercy, even for your only sister?"

Oliver didn't know better because Sai, in fact, had no mercy. Sai had to be the only vampire who had died twice but was still here. Eric had ended him, but I'd brought him back with the Cluviel Dor I'd gotten from Claudine. Still, he had suffered the pain of a stake to the heart. Then I'd betrayed him further by asking Eric to detain him while I betrayed my father. He had clearly been waiting to pay me back for all that.

"Mercy? Whatever for?" He sounded absolutely baffled. "Shy'ra is not the first female to be tossed aside by her husband for a more attractive woman. Ninety nine percent of men that abandon their wives do not do so for a Queen; it is no insult to her rank as Princess. Let us not forget that if she hadn't defied her father and rejected her throne, she would now be the most powerful Queen in the New World, but what does she do? She throws it all away for a pretty face and now we have to sniff her filth while she wallows in her misery? Look at her, she is an eyesore."

"Just get out," Ollie said.

"With pleasure, but first I just need to know about the gifting situation. They are registered at Morgana's Market for All. I was just wondering if we would all put our names on a single wedding gift or if Shy wanted to send her own. After all, she would know what the groom would like best."

A part of me said that Sai was trying to do what he did best, keep shit together. He was my big brother. He was only trying to anger me to rouse me and not hurt me. But his words...so full of truth were able to reach me and cut deeply when words of love and comfort hadn't.

"Leave her, big brother."

Nim and I were the only one who called Sai, 'Big Brother'. At that precise moment there was something in his tone that caused to Sai stop tormenting me. He left with a furious growl, who it was directed at I had no idea. My brothers left, though Nim was the last to go even after he was gone. He was just there on the side of my telepathy, calling out to me. His mind was peaceful but not even the rock could reach me in this sea. I was just so lost.

"There are faster and cleaner ways to die than this. Of course you know this eh, mija?"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I looked to the foot of my bed and there stood my father. This was the first time in over three years that I was looking at his face. All the time since I'd returned home I hadn't yet seen him. My guess was he hadn't been able to bring himself to see all his years of grooming turned to a pile of stinking defeat.

"This is for my attention. There, you have it. I am here, so get up."

I couldn't even begin to comprehend his words. I also knew that there had been a question in there somewhere but I couldn't imagine what it was. The question and it's answer didn't come and I turned my back to him. I was just so tired, exhausted even, though I hadn't left this bed in weeks. A part of me felt as if I never would.

I was facing the balcony watching the night through the double French doors when my view was cut off. My father was there beside the bed. His olive green eyes were like I'd never seen, not even when we'd had our falling out had he looked at me this way.

"I have never been ashamed of you in your entire life, not even when you chose to defy me in this home. I respected your strength but this? I am ashamed for you, Sookie."

He never called me Sookie, not ever. I met his eyes silently, begging to be left alone, but his pitiless gaze told me he would never allow me such self-pity.

"Of all my children, I thought you the best of me but when faced with a minor setback, this is what you do? This is how a Princess by birth, by right, and by blood would react to a single unsuspecting blow. It is disgraceful, Shy'ra."

Minor setback? Whose life was he talking about? Not mine, that much was for sure. "They took everything from me," I said as if that wasn't obvious. "They took him. They—"

He waved a hand at me that signaled for me to stop talking. "Oh, so your manners were one of the things they took as well?" He derided. "It must be because that is the only reason why you would speak to me, your father, and your King while lying on your back?"

I said nothing. He was always trying to teach a lesson or reinforce some code. I just didn't have the energy to do this with him and I didn't care enough about anything else to try.

He growled. "I said, 'Get up!' Now!" He didn't wait for me to comply.

He grabbed both my shoulders and dragged me into a sitting position against the headboard. I looked at him and I don't know what he saw, but it washed the harshness from his face and he pulled me into his arms. His scent was one I associated with all things safe and strong. I'd never needed it more. He held me and when my tears fell, he pulled away. My father wiped them away as if hiding my shame and, it helped more than any soothing touch could to halt my tears.

"Princesses do not cry Mi amor." He said softly. "If they do it must be in the rain. You know this, I taught you so."

I nodded. "I know, Daddy," I said sniffling and trying to stave off more tears. Had this been anyone else, I didn't think I could have even attempted to smother my crying. I would have fallen into hysterics and I don't think I could have ever stopped until my heart did.

"Nothing has ever caused me this much pain in my life. What's worse? I deserve it." I said, in a voice fit for the gallows. The shame he had spoken of was there and it threatened to choke me. "I was too close, too blinded, and too stupid to see it."

I was the dumbest smart person, ever born. Even when Ocella came to our door step, I hadn't seen this coming in a million years. My worries were about such superficial things, my time with Eric, sharing my space, and the worst, Ocella coercing Eric into sex. It never occurred to me that Ocella could make Eric leave me.

"Yes," My father replied thoughtfully changing to his native tongue. It was the one he used to soothe me. "Did you think I did not wish a powerful husband for you?"

I recalled he had been accepting suitors for my hand just before I left. I just thought it had been a maneuver that would get me where he wanted me to be. Then I had gone and made a choice he hated, and there was no coming back.

"I did. With Eric's age and reputation, your mind and abilities along with my money, the two of you would have been unstoppable. I have always indulged you, overly so at times but only if it didn't contradict what was best for you and that was what you couldn't see with Eric. I wanted the best for you, but the risk The Viking posed was too high."

He frowned at nothing in general as he continued. "I think that was what angered me most. You ignored a blatant threat and asked me to invite it into the fold. I knew Ocella would find his way to Eric as he is known to do from time to time, and once he did he would hurt you, and you would learn your lesson."

Lesson learned. My father turned to look at me. His eyes were unfathomable while they searched over my pale, gaunt face.

"I would have been happy to be wrong if only to have spared you this, mija." He whispered. He cupped my face, running his thumb over the dark spots under my eyes, and drying the remaining evidence of my tears.

"Pain makes the brain smarter," I whispered. Of all the things I learned from Sai throughout my life that had been one lesson that resonated above all.

"You have never been stupid, not even when you tried. I think you were young, still are, and it is a factor we both overlooked because of your many abilities."

"I don't feel young," I told him. With the pain in my heart and the turmoil it had brought to my mind, I felt I had aged centuries.

"I do not agree. We but all of us are as wise as our experiences and you do not have many. He was the first man you'd ever known?"

"The only one."

He nodded in understanding. "With that fact, the time you spent with him and the condition you were in, I should have been able to guess that you were attached. I overestimated your emotional maturity and you underestimated my ability to adjust. I am your father even after I am ashes in the wind and you are dead in the ground, I will be your father still. I will always want is best for you. You should have allotted me more trust."

That was as close as he was ever going to get to apologizing. It wasn't necessary. I was just as wrong. I never, not once since I was returned to him from Louisiana thought my best interest was his end goal. I thought he wanted me to be Queen because then I would finally be good enough. If I hadn't had that insecurity, how differently would things have turned out? I couldn't even begin to count all the ways.

An hour passed as we sat in silence. He held my hand and kept an arm around me supporting all my weight. His body was cool, but it was the warmest I'd been in weeks. For the first time in close to three months, I tried to think through what happened. I didn't let myself feel, but I tried to see where I went wrong. I voiced my thoughts to the one man who had always known my mind.

"At first I thought Ocella was testing me, you know? Seeing if I was good enough, strong enough for Eric. That wasn't the case. It was me. He wanted nothing but to demean me and Eric allowed him," I confessed. It was the first time I was voicing it and the words tasted like poison… so wrong… and just so warped. "When he found I didn't cower, he wanted to hurt me, and still Eric did nothing. He had made excuses."

Eric had told me that Ocella was petty when in truth he was nothing but a sadistic bastard. He didn't care who he hurt to satisfy his own twisted urges. I'd looked at Eric's lack of actions as his way of not wanting to choose sides in a delicate situation. Yet, he'd wanted me keep it light while his Maker continued hitting harder and harder, cutting deeply into me with his words. Looking back now, I couldn't believe all the shit I'd let slide. Would I have done it if I hadn't been alone and away from home? Yes, I would have because I loved him.

My father shrugged. "It could be argued that Eric had no choice."

We both knew that there was always a choice. It was only when choices became sacrifices that people claimed otherwise. I did believe Eric had been forced into the divorce, especially by the underhanded means in which it was done. It just simply wasn't his style, even with his enemies. I also knew that he had been forced into giving up information about me. Everything up and until that point, he'd had control over. That was what hurt more than anything; it was what had broken me.

Eric knew Ocella far better than I ever would. He was aware of the danger his Maker posed to us and he never told me. I would have killed that boy-loving bastard and ended all this before it could have even begun. Eric knew I wanted that. Despite having no love for Ocella, he still gave him loyalty of this magnitude. The truth was that Eric chose Ocella and sacrificed me instead. I had thought I was irreplaceable, no; he had made me feel irreplaceable. That was what I had based my love, life, and forever upon.

"He made his choice and it wasn't me." I said.

As I said the words I knew them to be true. There it was at last, sweet, merciful rage. It came and swept over me like a fiery breeze.

"Eric thinks he can just discard me as if I'm nothing and he did it at the behest of that Roman bum no less. Worst of all, that whore of a Queen thinks she can just take my husband, and then invite my father to the wedding?" Who fucking does that?

"As a guest of honor for that matter," My father informed me.

"The nerve! The sheer gall of it!"

"It is quite astounding," He agreed. "She has no fear of retaliation, which leads me to believe she is not getting accurate information regarding just whom you are."

"I do not care," I told him.

Even if I had been just the telepathic barmaid that most believed me to be, nothing gave anyone the right to do what Freyda had done, Queen or not. I was seething and I wanted to go on a rampage, but that would be stupid and I was so over being foolish. I needed to get stronger, but first I needed to get out of bed. I tested my weight on my feet, shaky, but they would hold me.

My head spun from vertigo. I couldn't remember the last time I stood. I wobbled, but my father didn't move. When I took my first step, I crumbled on one knee catching myself on the bed rail so the other wouldn't follow. While I found my strength, my father never moved to aid me. I loved him for it. I didn't want his tenderness; it would rob me of my anger. He waited patiently for me to rise to my feet, and when I did he smiled at me. It wasn't warm. He knew there was murder on my mind and he approved.

"I am a Princess and no one takes from me."

Freyda of Oklahoma was first on my list, that slut was in for a rude awakening, so was that Roman peasant and the mate-abandoning Viking after I rescued him that is.

"Good to know," The King said. "I have been in talks with Freyda, as I said. I do not believe she is receiving accurate information. Perhaps we can resolve this peacefully before she finds herself holding an angry vampire by the fang." He tapped my chin and it was then I realized my fangs were out and I wanted to dig them into someone, quite a selected few someones.

That solution, even if it was successful, didn't provide me with the amount of bloodshed I craved at the moment. That was just it though, this rage was momentary. I wanted the same thing I always wanted, Eric. I'd also made the mistake of not trusting my father once before. I would never do that again. It had gotten me where I was. I scowled, but nodded to give my agreement.

My father reached beside the bed and came back with a clipboard. It was the same one Doctor Wexler had been keeping on me since I got home.

"These are all the things that are wrong with your body as of present." He said, placing the thick stack in front of me. "Do what you must to heal by month's end. I am having a final sit down with the Queen of Oklahoma."

I would make it to that meeting even if it killed her.

I'd done a number on myself. I could feel it but I didn't know the half until I read my medical charts. It would have taken months to undo the damage if I was solely human. Such as it was it took me three and a half weeks. My father gave me his blood to get me back into top physical form. I still wasn't at a hundred percent, but I just needed to be able to put on the show of being such and I was close enough.

"No matter what she says to provoke you, her safety has been promised in blood," My father reminded me.

Of course I knew that. Nothing else would take a regent from their Kingdom and into another without such fanfare. No matter how long I'd been away from home, the lessons he had imparted in me about surviving, in and out of the vampire political system, never faded. More than once his teachings had saved me.

"See and hear, but I will not feel nor speak." I promised.

He smiled while he got behind the wheel of his Lamborghini Gallardo. My father seldom drove, but, when he did, it was a car that could rival any race car. I slid in beside him with Sai watching from his place by the garage door. His expression was the same as always, scowling and menacing. I caught a slight glimpse of Nim fifty miles after we left home. He would be close by if we found trouble at this meeting. I would be enough to protect my father until he did.

The meeting place was a pizza joint well beyond the boundaries of my father's area. I knew when we had arrived. I caught his scent, Eric was here. I went weak all over. Just the scent of him alone had me so twisted that for the first time in days, I wanted to break down and weep even though I was sure I had no tears left to cry. Surely if he saw me cry, he would know what he was doing to me. He would come back; that was my heart talking. I took that weakness and locked it away.

My father got out of the car and came over to help me as I got out, making a great show of it for anyone who was watching. Hand in hand we walked into hole in the wall. We bypassed the half drunken hostess and made way to the farthest corner, where the Queen of Oklahoma was waiting. Her face offended me even from this distance but that wasn't what got to me. She was alone, but I was so certain that I had caught Eric's scent. It took everything I had not to search for him.

"I am glad you have come," My father said and he gave her a nod of his head.

It took Freyda a while longer than acceptable to respond. Her eyes were on me. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I didn't really care.

"Her presence here means nothing, it proves nothing," Freyda stated.

If I had to guess, I would bet my father had told her I was his daughter and in taking something from me, she had taken something from him. Freyda was apparently not buying it. However her response did tell me that in addition to being a home-wrecking, hussy vamp, she was also a rude troll. I knew these were just my emotions talking. I knew it, so I didn't allow them to show on my face.

The King shrugged. If she didn't want to believe him about what I was to him, she didn't have to. He wasn't about to break out baby pictures as proof, such a thing was beneath him. Over the ages he had proven that his word was infallible.

"Have you reconsidered your position?" he asked.

"No," she said.

There was a tense pause that engulfed their half of the restaurant. My father broke it with a dramatic sigh. "So, old friend, where does that leave us?" he asked.

"On opposite sides of a conflict," Freyda said plainly.

"That is most unfortunate," My father said sincerely sad. "I respect you Freyda. Even now as you have made yourself my enemy without provocation I respect you still, so I make you this offer before any permanent harm is done. End Ocella, release Eric and marry me."

By her wide eyes it was clear that Freyda wasn't expecting that. She wasn't the only one. If not for the promise I had made my father about not feeling, my head might have exploded.

"I will be generous with the terms of the union." He continued. "But you must decide now."

_Please, say 'no'. Please, say 'no'._

Freyda looked at me with a lot more interest and intensity than she had when I came in. Then she eyed my father. I knew when she made her choice because she sat just a little bit taller, an attempt to show that she wasn't afraid of the consequences of her actions.

"I have made my choice."

_Yes!_

My father nodded. "Then I wish you luck although I know it would do you no good."

Her brows arched in question. "You would go to war with me over a human?"

He didn't dignify her with a response. With a final nod of his head, my father rose from his seat and pulled me up with him. I went, albeit reluctantly. Their little back and forth wasn't enough for me. I wanted to know where Eric was. He had to be close. I just wanted to see his face, hear his voice no matter how much it hurt. That didn't happen. I was back in the car, on the highway, and I couldn't decide how I felt about it.

_'__Lover,'_

I felt the mental call and it hit me so hard I almost fell apart all over again.

_'__Eric,'_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

My father slowed the car and looked at me in question. I didn't have the words to tell him what I was feeling. There were no words. Refusing to leave him in the dark, I let him into my mind. He saw what I saw, and perhaps he felt a little bit of it too because I heard him call Nim to us. My brother wasn't far away, but Eric was closer. Like a fallen angel he descended in front of the car. I was out of my seat before I could think of all the reasons why I shouldn't look so eager. Just gazing at him after so long made me feel as though that hell I'd been through was the dream and this right here with him was the reality.

"You should not have come," He said. "Whatever brought you here, you have to let it go."

It was like having ice water being poured into my veins. I looked at him and I wanted nothing more than to see the face I loved. I saw it, but it wasn't the same. He wasn't smiling my smile. He wasn't close enough to crowd. He was downwind as if my scent was diseased and he was loath to be tainted with it. Seeing I was just with his wife to be, that was indeed the case.

"It's you," I admitted and no matter how much pain I'd gone through I couldn't ever let him go. "It's always you."

I saw the tense expression soften, but only for a moment. "Me too..."

His face was taut as if he was fighting each word that escaped. He wanted to tell me something. He must have been under his Maker's edict. I'd already taken three steps toward him before I realized I'd moved. My father had a hand on my shoulder keeping me from going further. Eric took steps back not wanting to come in contact with my scent. That hurt, but I stayed where I was, leaning against my dad.

"It wasn't luck that you were to die by fire," Eric said.

He had somehow fashioned it that way because I could call for a faery to extract me from the house. He hadn't abandoned me to die. He had a plan. It was a plan I couldn't see but it was a plan nonetheless. I could have laughed from the relief of it. Eric was a thousand-year-old sheriff. Of course he had a plan! Hope sprang within me. It was a reckless kind of hope. There was no reason behind it, but it made me believe that I was the center of Eric's world again and I so needed to believe in Eric again. Then something clicked and just as it had come, my hope died.

_"__What have you done?" _

Eric had said those words to me when he pulled me off Ocella after I'd beaten him to a pulp. I'd thought it to be concern for his Maker. It hadn't been. He had known that this was coming, he had to. He hadn't told me. He knew that I would have hunted Ocella; if I had found him I would have murdered him. He didn't want that.

Instead he began putting distance between us to prepare me for this. Simultaneously, he must have reached out to vampires beyond our immediate area and probably began sharing his supposed doubts about me. He would have told them what he would do to me if his suspicions were proven to be true. He had done all that while he lay in bed with me every night for months.

"In your end goal, Ocella still remains, doesn't he? Then I become Queen of Oklahoma."

Something he knew I didn't want to be…a title I had given up for him because it meant we would just be happy together. Yet, he would ask it of me if it meant saving his Maker. Then I had to wonder why I was so shocked. This was typical Eric, he had to have his cake and eat it too. It was never a bad thing because I had been the cake. I was always what he wanted most.

Looking at his face I knew I was right. He had done all that to save his Maker, put me, put us through this. He had gambled with my life in the name of his Maker and I almost died. I hadn't fought. I hadn't called anyone. If not for a vague vision from Niall and the determination of my friend, I would have burned to death. There was no doubt that he would have been destroyed by my death but it wouldn't have changed a thing. I would still be dead and his precious Maker would have survived and he would still be getting married.

Eric never had to tell me that Ocella had forced him into sex in the beginning of his undead life, and now he had sold him to a Queen under the guise of marriage. There was no doubt that he didn't want this marriage, but I also had no doubt he was trying to protect Ocella from me even now, even after everything he had done to him and to me.

I reached up to where my father had his arm across my shoulder and removed it. He didn't even hesitate and it was then that I realized he was in my head and had been in my head as my thoughts formed. He felt my rage and the coldness of my resolve.

"You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of, do you?" I asked calmly.

Of course he didn't.

"Your amnesiac mate, the one you rescued from a car wreck, the one that built her world around you, the one that gave up her family and two thrones for you, she died."

I told him. I didn't know if my words elicited any emotion from him. I literally felt blinded by hurt and fury.

"She burned to death, Eric, in your lame brain plan to save your Maker. What was left of her soul spent the following months starving to death hurting over you."

I couldn't believe that heartache alone had reduced me to that. I had suffered organ failure, I had been nothing but a bag of bones and I had lingered on just this side of the veil. I had suffered all that because he wanted to save his Maker. Now he expected me to sit aside and wait. He was going to marry this woman. I knew vampires; I knew he would have to consummate his marriage. The thought alone…

"That girl is dead. What is left is the Princess she was born and raised to be. You don't know her and I promise you; you don't want to piss her off."

"I know you are angry, but trust me," He said. "I need you to…I need that more than anything."

Nim had been there. He had arrived seconds after Eric but he chose that moment to leave my father's side. I realized why, Sai was here too, probably because he didn't trust me or anyone with his Maker so he had followed after we left home. In any case, both my brothers flanked me. Both were awaiting my signal. I couldn't give in. No, I was a sadist. I still loved the object of my torment. I gave him one more out because I was his fool.

"Tell me you want him gone and I will make it happen," I offered. "I promise."

An edict was much like a Fae promise. There were holes. I hadn't used Ocella's name or the fact that I would snuff out his existence slowly. My words were ambiguous so he could answer me. I knew he could by the way his face twisted from a mask of cool to one of anger. He could answer but he knew I wouldn't like his response. I honestly didn't think Eric could hurt me anymore, but he just succeeded.

"You told me you trusted me more than you trusted yourself." He countered.

And he told me I would never be free of him but here we were.

"Leave this state, Viking, take your betrothed with you and never come back." I told him. "If you do, nothing can save you, not even me." In that moment I wasn't sure I would even want to.

I knew he wanted to argue, but his time with was short. He needed to get back to his wife-to-be. She was his priority now and I wasn't even second fiddle. No,I was too good to be anything other than first place. It had nothing to do with being a princess. I was his mate. There should be no line that Eric wouldn't cross for me. He hadn't even toed it. When push came to shove he chose his Maker and he thought he could place me on a shelf until...I had no idea when. I refused.

Eric left and I watched him go feeling so sick that I could scream. Nim got in Sai's car. I took the driver's seat of my father's car and raced my brother back to home.

"I changed my mind, Daddy," I told my father during the drive. "Eric doesn't need to be rescued. Like Ocella and Freyda, he needs to be taught a lesson."

"As you wish, mija," he said with a nod. "I will say this, the thought of you being Queen appeals to me."

"I will be Queen, but it will be as my father intended, I will be a Queen without rival, in this world or the old." I replied.

When we arrived home I went straight to my lab.

"How was your vacation, Princess?" Fin greeted.

"Long," I replied smiling at the holographic projection. "Let me in."

I wasn't sure what I thought my father would have done to my work space after he banished me. The logical thing to do would have been to sell the equipment, much of which cost at least six figures because no one else here used it. Yet, the room had looked just like it had that day when I shut it down for what I thought would be the last time. The memories brought so much heartache. I had given up everything just to be with Eric. He'd done the same thing.

I'd been so floored that he had gone to such great lengths, getting an injunction from the Pythoness so he could take me home. He had risked life and limb walking into the heart of my father's territory to get to me. Eric had willfully defied a powerful King in his own court. He had been prepared to spend the rest of forever running just to be with me.

Yes, he had done all that but when it came to Ocella he did nothing. He was giving up everything to safeguard him. The first thing I did was try to get eyes on Freyda's known places but I was blind, literally. I was tapped into the feeds of Oklahoma City traffic cams but damned near all of them had been obscured. It wasn't done by any written codes that I could tackle.

Freyda knew how I operated because Eric had told her. I knew he would have given up information about me but to see the results of it…there were really no words. I knew he didn't do it freely, but the feeling of crushing betrayal that I knew he had willingly committed I couldn't see the difference.

I remained in the lab and catalogued every conversation I'd ever had with Eric. There were so many. So many happy memories. I detached myself from every single one. There was no sentimentality, this was cold hard math. I needed to know how much damage he could do to me and my family. The results were unfavorable but not catastrophic. He knew many of the 'whats' but not the 'hows' to match.

Much of the information he had was emotional, he knew how I felt about things I did or could do. So while he knew what I'd done for the Fae, he had no idea how. He just knew how I felt about it. It was the same for the serum. The few things I knew for sure was that Ocella, if not Freyda, now knew were: I had an ally in the Sky Fae; my family were daywalkers, and my mental and physical abilities. Unfortunately those were my biggest advantages and they were as good as useless. Much like the move with the cameras she would be ready. Considering how bad it could be, this was nothing. Already I had the plan forming in my head.

My Fae BFF was never far from my mind, but after he had seen me at my worst, I didn't want to reach out until I was better. I wasn't better, but I was well enough to face him again. I wanted him to see that I was okay. The lines connected and for about a half hour Caspian cried, and I gushed at hearing his voice again. Then he told me something disturbing.

"Niall has stopped funding for my lab."

"Shit, Cas, I'm sorry." I told him.

"With our numbers growing again, it makes sense. He doesn't care about the human-centered work I do, again can't say I blame him, still; it just feels weird not having that. So I am now just a lowly professor, still hot and brilliant, mind you."

I laughed. It was the first time in weeks that I'd heard that sound, but Caspian's derisive tone and the fact he was still the same when so much had changed was good to hear.

"Come here."

"I wish I could, but for any faery to settle safely in a place with vampire regents, we have to petition the sheriff, negotiate rates, and without Niall, I do not have the clout."

I smiled. "Princess trumps sheriff, and the sheriff is my brother, so just get your ass over here. I'll handle the specifics."

I wasn't hungry but when the timer on my phone beeped I went up to eat. I was halfway finished with my meal when I heard the rest of my family begin preparing for their night. The first person I saw was Sai. Since I'd been up and about he had laid off me. Our relationship was back to normal. He validated me with a slight nod but that was all. Sai was never chatty unless he was being a dick.

"You are right, big brother." I told him. "I do so love setting trends."

"Good for you." He said.

I didn't forget a single word he had said to me while I'd been damn near catatonic in bed. I knew why he did it, but still…I slapped his bottle of blood out of his hand and into the sink. The glass broke, blood splattered the sink, a few drops hit the wall, but most of it was on his crisp yellow button-down and the suit jacket he wore.

Yeah, he had a weird thing with suits, nice suits. Always had which I didn't get because he was always ready to do violence. He had the severe looks of the marauding Moor he had been, but in handmade Italian suits. Don't get me started about his designer loafers and belt collection.

Before his furious roar left him, I was out of the kitchen and halfway up the stairs. By that time he started cursing my name I was by my father's study.I walked into the room and there was a question on The King's face. We could both hear Sai threatening to kill me. I shrugged and for some reason, that made him smile, a smile he kept for just me.

"In his own way Sai missed you," He told me.

I arched a disbelieving brow. I would wager that particular sibling would suck ash and burnt blood before he let himself miss me. I was the bane of his existence, well, at least I tried.

"He was bored. No one can torment him the way you do."

I grinned. "I am happy to do it."

I sat down and we talked. It felt like the good old days except it wasn't. It was better. I wasn't afraid of losing his love. I'd fallen as far from grace as I could and here I was. It made me more honest. While I had no trust to give, I trusted him. He was a man I'd loved and trusted my whole life and so far, he had never betrayed it.

He filled me in on his affairs of state. Not much had changed. I told him my plan in getting Eric back. His job was to poke holes in it every step of the way. He knew me well, knew how my mind worked when I was being methodical. He could account for things that he knew with my personality I might miss. No matter how well I thought I had things figured, he always found something. This time we knew the fight was personal and we tried to shore up those weaknesses as well.

"I would need you to unlock the trust fund," I said.

Truth was I was broke, again. The first time I'd gone broke was to emancipate my states. I no longer had access to the money I'd earned working for Niall. Ocella was kind enough to have Eric close my accounts. For what I was planning I needed a lot of money. My trust fund held enough money for the ransom of two Kings as did all my brothers' and father's. I only needed a fraction of that.

"I would prefer not to," He replied. "Forever is a long time and you will always need currency through every single day of it," he said.

He would know I supposed.

"We do not borrow against the crown and the funds from my business accounts will take too long to clear. Ask Nim, he has it or call in your favors with agent Lattesta and the CIA idiots. They owe you a lot of money."

Not anymore they didn't. At that point I told him about Matthew Ward, the man that had murdered my mother. In the tale, I implicated Nim, but my father didn't seem to mind.

"I should have killed him," He said.

I shook my head to disagree. From what Tom had found my mother wasn't the first woman to be raped or murdered by Matthew Ward. "You did to him exactly what he deserved."

I tapped into Nim's mind and asked to borrow a hundred million dollars. He was the minimalist in the family because of his human life. He had been a slave and he seemed determined not to let himself forget. His room was almost a jail cell with its décor or lack thereof. He wore plain clothes. Sai said he used to own horses but since he learned to fly he hadn't bothered with cars. He had the money to spare.

'You are not going to use it to leave,' He asked.

_'No,'_ I replied confused.

Where else in the world could I go? In my heart I knew I wouldn't leave home for a long time. Where else would I find this amount of love and support than with my family? He showed me memories of what my absence had truly done to my family.

_'Zee wanted to go after you; bring you home, father forbade it,'_

My father and Zee were having a full blown shouting match. I'd never seen my father out of control, ever. Zee never got angry. The fight continued and it peaked when my father slapped Zee. I saw that he regretted it instantly but when he reached for him again, Zee recoiled and left.

_'He has been gone, refusing to speak to father or come home. Ollie went with him so he would not be alone. It was just us again.'_

I saw the memories. Sai, Nim and my father went about their routines. It wasn't much company. My eldest brothers could go weeks without a word. I saw Nim's memory when he ran into Sai at the gym in the house one day. They had looked at each other and just left. Had all of us been home, it would have been a good time, full on roughhousing. I'd missed home. I'd missed my father and brothers. I missed Amelia and Genie and my lab. This was the first time that I had to acknowledge that I'd ripped my family apart and for what? Nothing at all.

_'I'm not going anywhere, I promised._

_'Then take whatever you need to make this right.'_

I blinked out of his mind and found my father looking at me in question. I'd all but forgotten about him.

"He said yes."

With the funds procured, all I was waiting for was time.

"I have one final question. What are you going to do with Eric once he is returned to you?"

That was the one question for which I had no answer. I couldn't lie or make excuses. I refused. My emotions had led me so astray. I knew I couldn't trust them anymore, especially where Eric was concerned. I was his mate. I loved him but he'd hurt me, so badly. It didn't mean I didn't love him, but I felt angry and betrayed. I resented him and a part of me, a small part, hated him. I knew that I wanted him with me, but I also wanted to take everything away from him the way he let Ocella take it from me. I wanted him to watch his precious Ocella die, slowly. I wanted to hurt him, make him suffer. It was what I wanted, but I wasn't sure if I had the stomach for it.

"God help him, Daddy," I said honestly. "I don't know."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

No matter how long it had been since I'd been home adjusting wasn't hard. I had things to keep me busy. When my thoughts tried to turn to Eric, I sought out Sai. He was happy to spar with me and he didn't cut me any slack because I'd gotten rusty. He kicked my ass up until I got unrusty and well beyond.

My father was making me more active in his affairs. It was something I never really did, at least not the day-to-day stuff. I had always been more of his ears and eyes over all his businesses. He didn't necessarily need me now.

Word would get out about how close he was keeping in his affairs. Secondly, I think he wanted to keep me close after I'd been gone so long and him busy. I didn't mind either way, not even when it meant working in close proximity with Victor Madden. My father had made me the point of contact for the Lieutenant. If he had a problem with taking orders from someone with a pulse he didn't show it. He continued to refer to me as Princess or Your Grace, and he sure as shit didn't speak on it either. Maybe he hadn't forgotten the sole time he had seen me fight.

I was sitting in Sai's office at MGM Grand. He was my father's right hand, but he was also a Sheriff. Sometimes his responsibilities overlapped. He was having a meeting with his own vampires about the length of time he would be away. Despite the clear declaration that they were enemies, my father was still very much invited to Freyda's wedding. It was to show that she wasn't afraid and not going would say he was. Sai would be attending with my dad as would I.

"I have revoked the passes of all visitors or have remanded them to the Boulder City while I will be in Oklahoma," My brother said.

I had never been to work with Sai before. I knew he inspired fear, but I never really got the clear picture until then. There were eight vampires in the room. I'd heard of five of them because they had done some noteworthy thing or another throughout their existence, human or otherwise. There was Joan of Arc or The Arcadian as she was known after her turning as well as Hans the Barbarian and Aiko the Bloody Rose to name a few. I was in a roomful of natural born power hitters but, they could have been confused for church mice at the moment. They looked at my brother with a healthy dose of fear and respect.

"Any vampires you come across while I am gone are trespassing and you are to engage them with extreme prejudice."

A tiny hand flew up in the back. I couldn't see her face, but I could see her tiny feet that were clad in light up 'Sketchers'.

"Jazmina?" Sai called.

"Capture, torture, or kill?" she asked.

Her tone made it sound as if it was a game and, judging by present company, it might be. Who would have thought that there would ever be a group in which Sai was the normal one? Just about all of them looked as though they had gotten up on the wrong side of the coffin.

"Pick your favorite two," he replied. "But I do not want so much as a wrinkle in the routine while I am away."

There were no more questions and they filed out. I wasn't sure what it said about them that none of them so much as looked at me in question.

"Does Daddy know you employ nutjobs?" I asked after they had gone.

To my surprise, Sai answered the jab. "Wait until you meet the King's guard."

Victor arrived and I sat in that meeting too. I felt the tension the second he sat down, without invitation mind you. The power differences between the two vampires were obvious. In a physical test, Sai would obliterate Victor, but there was a reason why my father kept Madden around.

Madden was slicker than a can of oil and I think on some level my father felt as if he needed him to stay as cunning as he was. It irritated Sai because, as the eldest of five, Lieutenant should be his position. Instead he was a sheriff and second in command. I wasn't sure why he didn't have it, but knowing my father there was a good reason.

They talked logistics and I wondered if gravity was multiplying or if it was just me. I was debating that when I got a call from Caspian. I left happily. It had taken time for my friend to pack his life up and relocate. I had missed him. We talked almost every day, but when I arrived at the air strip and saw him getting off the jet I'd sent, I threw myself at him.

"I missed you, Cas," I said.

"Can't…breathe," He gasped.

I let him go and we both fell out laughing. "I'm happy you're here," I said.

He hugged me again. "I am happy to see that you are well."

I was waiting for the day when I would see Eric again, knowing that it would send me right back to Hell because it would be the day he married another woman. The date of his union was approaching. While I would never admit it, I was awaiting a phone call from Eric that would set this all to rights. He would tell me he was sorry and that he needed me. In that fantasy, I would swarm in and end Ocella, and then seriously hurt Freyda. It didn't happen. Caspian was the only one to whom I admitted that.

"Have you considered just letting him go?" He asked gently.

"I can't," I said. "He is mine."

I knew that Cas wasn't a vampire and wouldn't understand what that meant, but there was no other way to put it. Even though I hated him a little I still wanted Eric with me. I needed him. I loved him.

"Owning someone and having them belong to you is not the same. Letting him walk his path alone will only lead him back to you if it is with you he truly belongs."

The words Eric spoke to me the last night we were together entered my mind.

_"…__distance has a way of making things clear," He'd said. "And when you know you are flawed, you wonder if anyone can love you. When someone does, you wonder if they can't see your flaws or if they love you in spite of them."_

I realized that the fears he had were now mine. Eric was going to see the side of me that I had never shown him. I never had to, but now he was going to be on the receiving end of it. It would guarantee that he came back to me but what would be left? I would butcher and eventually end his Maker. What would he feel for me? I had no idea. I still wanted him back because I didn't just think that Eric belonged _to_ me, he belonged with me and that mattered.

I didn't say anything and Caspian didn't push. I showed him around. I offered him the estate that my father had bought for me when he brought me home. It was close to the main house without having fangs a plenty. I also took him to UNLV where I introduced him to Genie. Oddly enough, Genie had heard of Caspian and was an instant fan. He had his own suspicions that Caspian had written under other pen names over the years. He was right. I watched the bromance with a smile. Then I had to pry Caspian off Doctor Wexler.

"I wanted to absorb Wexler's note pad so bad. Did you see it?"

I did. Genie always had one for when inspiration struck but I'd never lusted after it before. I laughed because after all this time, Caspian could shock me with his level of nerdy behavior. Honestly, if he wasn't pretty, I didn't know what he would do.

"He's in the know." I told him. "But he's the only one. Everything you do at the school will have to be under wraps."

"You mean to tell me you have free run of this state?" He asked wide-eyed.

I nodded. "With the exception of area 50, Reno, that is where my father's lieutenant is based." I stayed out of Reno. Victor just wasn't worth the hassle.

"Talk about the magic stick," He said with a chuckle. "You turned down two thrones and all this. I can't imagine…"

I stilled.

"Forgive me," He said. "That was insensitive."

I shook it off. He hadn't said it to hurt me but I knew there are people that would. I should get used it. No one in my family had brought it up so far, save Sai. He would razz me about it so hard that I would be desensitized in no time.

"No. I know what you meant and it is kind of true."

"Let's go to a brothel and a casino. Watching me sin might do you a world of good!"

While Cas gave a brothel full of whores a run for their money, I met with John Quinn. When I entered the diner, his eyes were glued to the door. He had caught my scent which in this greasy spoon was impressive. He was built like a wrestler; tall, muscular, but not bulky. His head was shaved clean, making his pansy purple eyes stand out like Amethyst gems against his tanned skin. As I'd been observing him and making my way over, he had been giving me what could only be described subtly as an eye fuck.

"I'd tell you to take a picture but I'm not sure that you wouldn't." I said in hello. Then without awaiting an invitation I sat.

A predatory grin spread across his face. "You want me to believe the vamps keep you around for your brains?" He asked with a sneer. "You smell like a brothel."

Okay, that wasn't my fault but I wouldn't argue that point. I didn't know all the details, but I knew that my father owned him and because he had a mentally unstable mother who was also weretiger and a younger sister to provide for, he behaved, but he never could quite curb the hostility.

"If I was a whore you would beat feet to my door." I said mildly.

An unabashed nod, "You are definitely an upgrade from the people Victor and the Sheriff normally send." He replied with his eyes lingering on my breasts. "So what does he want?"

"You will be coordinating the wedding of the Queen of Oklahoma. All that is required is this."

I pulled the metal case from my jacket pocket and opened it. It contained a flat adapter the size of an acorn. It was a fuse box, once plugged in it could emit the power needed to fuel the anchor for the hollo strips. The anchors were four little translucent circles that were imperceptible even to vampire eyes; it was made from the same thing the Fae gloves were.

It was the same method that allowed Fin to project his holographic image through whatever house he was wired into. When Quinn got this done I would have eyes and ears in Freyda's house via Fin. That bitch thought she could hide from me. She was dead wrong.

"Plug this into any outlet in the house," I indicated the plug. "Put it in a place with as little traffic as possible; attics or behind furniture ideally."

"What do I do with those?" he asked, pointing to the anchors.

"You will place one in each cardinal direction of the home as close to the ceiling as possible. If you do this quickly and efficiently, Victor will cut the time you have left in half."

His eyes went wide with shock, and then narrowed in suspicion. At last check he owed my father fifty years of service for cleaning up after his mother. With each assignment he earned years back. Quinn could resent my father all he wanted, but at least the King of Nevada didn't make him fight in the pits for the entertainment of others.

"I don't kill for Victor or even the King, so if that is some kind of explosive—"

As if. "It's just ears. Plug in the adapter, plant the bugs and get out."

"He is going to shave twenty-five years off for a simple spy job."

I shrugged as if I was just a hired hand. "From what I understand there is some great big secret and maybe time is an issue too. I don't know."

That seemed to appease him. "Vampires spying on each other. I could fucking yawn."

I shrugged. "So this is nothing your big brain can't handle," I said getting to my feet.

Of all the ways he could choose to die, the tiger grabbed my wrist. "If you're not a working girl, I still want to take you out sometime."

"You are out of your league, Puss in Boots," I retorted flashing fang.

He dropped his hand as if my skin had caught fire.

"Just get it done."

When I got back to the brothel, Cas was on his way to being shoved out the door. The only other women there he hadn't touched were the vampire whores and they were offering him freebies. We all knew how that would end. I grabbed him and dropped him off at my house. Then I went back home.

I didn't want to go back to the lab. There was nothing for me to do there but think. I didn't want to think. Just the little bit of time from the drive, my shower, and dinner had my thoughts whirling. I didn't want to be alone, period, but the house was mostly empty. Zee had flown out midday to make a show in London. My two eldest brothers were with my father as he oversaw his affairs of state. Oliver was the only one present. I found him in the den. He took up the entire sofa just as he always did.

"Hey, Ollie," I greeted.

"Hello, Shy'ra," he called.

With the iPad in his hand, the day's paper across his lap, and the remote to the television on his chest, it was hard to make out much of my brother. This wasn't new. I grabbed a throw pillow and sat on it with my back to the couch. Of all the things he was doing the easiest to interrupt was the TV. I snagged the remote and after a halfhearted battle, I got to control it.

It was close to dawn and I was watching my third episode of 'Ghost Hunters' when my father and two other brothers walked into the house. There was a moment. It was so slight and so fleeting that I could have imagined it, but I knew I didn't. I looked at my father and he froze as if he was expecting me to disappear. When I didn't, he stared at me a second longer, and then he smiled, leaving me to my brothers like he always had my whole life.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The day came. It felt surreal but as my bags were packed and I boarded my flight I knew there was no fighting the reality. I was going to witness Hell all over again. The last time I'd been in Texas it was a disaster. Aside from being kidnapped by vampire hating extremists, I also had a run in with the vampires here after the fact. The same nutcases from The Fellowship of the Sun had targeted a nest here. They had succeeded in killing more humans but still, my face wasn't associated with anything good. Just because I was granted a pass didn't mean I was welcomed.

On the tarmac of the little air strip were three cars. There were six vampires present.

"Brings back memories, eh, Bill?" Victor asked coolly.

Bill scowled and shot the Lieutenant a look that could chill ice. That, of course, made Victor smile. Victor Madden smiling was an unsettling thing. In that blink, I saw the thing that made my father keep him after all the little power moves he'd tried to pull. I saw a vampire-eating shark in a GQ suit.

"Are you going to be like this the entire trip?" I asked. Seriously, the plane hadn't even stopped moving.

He nodded his head in a half-assed show of what supposed to be an apology. "The Princess was kind enough to inform me that I come off as egotistical, cruel, and acerbic." He replied brushing imaginary lint off his shoulder. "I was making small talk in the hope of appearing more amiable."

It was very clear that he didn't care what I thought about him. It was doubly clear that he was just trying to be a dick. He was trying to box me into a corner. If I asked him to stop trying to be amiable he would be his usual self and that was almost just as bad. That was the thing about Victor. He could heel, but you had to make him. I didn't feel like making him.

"Victor has lead," I said.

Bill had a problem with that, but he knew better than to voice it at least in the open. We filed out of the plane and it was showtime. We got in the cars and began our hour long drive to Dallas. There wasn't a single word exchanged. The two vampires Stan sent drove. I was on my handheld and Victor looked as if he had gone into down time, though with him he might just be faking. You never knew with him.

I'd been hoping to stay at a hideaway. Ideally it would be somewhere close to the border of the state, small and quiet. That hope went to shit when the city of Dallas began to fall behind. A half an hour later I found myself in the suburbs of Dallas. If the four mile driveway or guard towers were any indication, I was about to enter the court of King Stan.

We cleared security and Stan himself was waiting on the front porch to greet us. He seemed to have dressed for the occasion. By that I meant he wasn't just wearing his usual white shirt, thin black tie, and black slacks. He had paired the ensemble with a black blazer that had nothing to do with the rest of his outfit.

When Stan saw me, he beamed a smile and I returned it. I guess we were just going to forget that the last time I was in his state, all hell had broken loose. That was fine by me, blood under the bridge and all that. I walked up to him, gave him a curtsy, and a deep nod of my head. He was obviously taken aback by my show of proper decorum.

"Your Grace," I greeted.

"Ms. Stackhouse," He replied, descending the steps. "I must admit that I am captivated all over again."

"His Majesty is most kind."

He held his hand out for me and I took it. Stan led the way into the house and everyone else followed. Bill and Heidi broke from Victor and me when our bags were delivered. They would follow Stan's people to the rooms where we would be staying while we were here. Victor and I sat with Stan in a living room.

"Victor, this sort of thing isn't typically what you do," Stan began.

"If it pleases my King to cause me pain, then it pleases me to suffer," Victor replied in a droll voice. I was sure he was meant to be funny and he was. We all shared an empty laugh.

"And you," the King said. "I have heard so very many stories about you, telepath."

"Do you believe these stories?" I asked. Since Victor had come in with a joke, I knew that was going to be his angle. There was only room for one of those in any conversation such as this.

"It matters very little," He replied. "I have accepted the terms set by your King. It bars any questions. Felipe also requires that you remain within my eye sight at all times until I hand deliver you to him in Oklahoma."

I already knew that and he had to know. Yet, Stan's eyes were on me silently begging all the questions that he had agreed not to ask. Stan was wondering why any King would call in a boon with another just to secure the safety and security of what was supposed to be just an asset to his state.

He could draw whatever conclusion he liked, all that mattered was that he adhered to the bargain he had with my father. If he didn't, Stan wouldn't see the next moon. That was one of the many reasons why my dad had sent me out of town with his most vicious hound. Victor knew it too. He was begging for Stan to violate the terms.

"Rest assured I will conduct myself in a manner befitting the most respectful guest," I said.

I spent the two days by Stan's side. It told me that he respected and feared my father. The first night, when I tried to leave the room while Stan had an orgy, he stopped everything. The King of Texas made damn sure I didn't leave the room. He offered me a blindfold and noise canceling head phones, but that was it.

Stan had his orgy and Victor joined. All the while I pretended not to hear. It wasn't a big deal. It was just blood and sex. So what if they were the two things I was lacking because my mate left me? That wasn't a big deal. My heart was broken and my mind was locked in a match that I couldn't afford to lose. Why couldn't my body get in line?

One of the Kings guards opened the door and a dark-haired male model walked into the room. He was meant to tempt me. His grey-blue eyes were riveting. He was the total opposite of Eric and that both doused my need and made me want him. Politely I refused the offer. If I said it was easy to do so, I would be lying. On the upside tomorrow was my last night here.

I kept vampire hours because it made the most sense. I was sealed in a day chamber that could endure a nuclear attack until dark. When I was freed, I went about getting dressed. I had help so it didn't take long. When all the servants were gone and I was alone, I took a long look at myself in the mirror. I wasn't even sure how to feel about what I saw. I thought this was a part of my life that was long over. The floor length gown I wore was custom-made by one of Zee's designer friends. It was silk and lace. It was a lesson in the finer things; elegance and privilege.

The jewelry was an emerald and diamond necklace that belonged to the last Queen of Italy. It was a present from my father on my thirteenth birthday. It matched the emerald tiara my father bought me for the occasion. I was sure it belonged to some Queen that he admired from long ago. He had it modified so I could wear it subtly as a head band. It would be bad manners to upstage a vampire bride even though that was exactly what I was doing.

I saw the helicopter and knew that it was time to head out. If Stan thought it was odd that my jewelry cost more than his royal court, he didn't show it. Victor, though, gave me a look that was equal parts resentment and appreciation. I couldn't even imagine what was behind either emotion. During the flight I did my best imitation of a vampire in down time.

I had to make sure I had myself in check every step of the way. I had known this day was coming for three months. Yet, I still didn't know what I felt at possibility of seeing Eric again. I knew I wouldn't until it happened. There was no kidding myself. I knew it would be bad. I also knew I would have to deal with it, but it would have to be at home.

A half an hour later I was gazing down at the Oklahoma City skyline. It might just be my emotions coloring my views but the view was piss poor. The helicopter touched down on top of a skyscraper downtown. Long before the elevator doors opened I knew my dad was here. I was eager to see him. It was mainly because I knew he wouldn't let me fall apart. This was going to be one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. I needed the only man I could trust to help me find an even keel. This wasn't just another battle of wits. It was personal.

The King was leaning casually against the side of the Mercedes, looking for all the world like he waiting for a bus to take him to whatever ball for which he was dressed. Of course Sai was there, a silent hulking figure at his right hand. Tension evaporated as I made my way to him. I knew it would return. Tonight was going to full of politics, but for right now, I was happy just to see his face.

I curtseyed and bowed with a big smile on my face. He didn't smile back at me, he couldn't, not with so many witnesses, but he nodded his head. Sai nodded too; making a grand gesture of it as he waved his hand for me to rise. I didn't say anything for the same reason my father didn't smile, but my bow wasn't meant for him and he very well knew it. I rolled my eyes, we'd been together for all of sixty seconds and my brother was already trying to annoy me.

My father had me against his side while he exchanged greetings with Victor. It was a big deal that he acknowledged me before his lieutenant in front of company. It didn't matter much anyway. My own great revelation was coming soon. Victor slid into the passenger side of the car and I followed as my father talked to Stan.

"See old friend, your worry was for naught," My father said. He was using the voice and smile that was meant for the masses, both humans and vampires alike. He was being the handsome, charismatic Spaniard he was known to be.

"Yes, which makes me wonder," Stan agreed. "She is different than when last she was here. What did you do, for that matter, what is she to you?" He was eying me.

"Sookie is my most prized and beloved possession," My father said. "The payment we have agreed upon will be delivered per our discussion." Taking a step back he nodded, effectively ending the conversation. "We are all guests of her Majesty's wedding and it would bode ill to be late."

There was a convoy of cars lined up in front of the glass building. They were all headed toward the same direction. The first two belonged to my dad. Last night Bill and Heidi had left Texas to come here to meet my father. They were driving and riding shot gun respectively. Behind them were two others of The King's guard, Otto and Galleon.

My father seldom left his Kingdom and when he did, he traveled with his full entourage. The fact that he was traveling light to an event of this caliber would throw many of people off, which, of course, was the point. I knew the King's guard though none of them knew what I was to the King. They had all seen me come and go, but none of them knew my title. My dad might have trusted them with his life, but not mine, so I knew the two he had brought were almost as skilled as Sai, hence my brothers warning.

Galleon was known as 'The Berserker'. His suit did nothing to conceal his ferocity. The look in his eyes made me believe that the only thing that got him out of his coffin every evening was the possibility of killing someone, several someones if possible. Otto, on the other hand, looked like he could be an accountant.

It only took ten minutes to get to the venue from the drop site. This hotel was obviously the best in the state. It was grand and it was obvious that it was vampire driven, operated, and owned. It wasn't a common chain, but its grandeur was old world, refined, and classic with just a hint of Victorian air. It was an elegant hovel if you wanted my opinion. Drawing in a deep breath, I redirected my thoughts because even in my head that sounded extremely catty, petty, and bitter. All things considered, I decided to cut myself some slack.

The car stopped and my body reacted, no matter how hard my mind tried to regain control. My heart rate was picking up. I could feel tension creeping into my bones. Perhaps what was worst of all, I felt my desperate attempts to control it all and I couldn't. My father glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

It was just a passing glance that wouldn't even be enough for to tell most people anything, including vampires. To me, it spoke volumes. It told me that not only was my behavior unbecoming, it was also shameful. I pulled in a breath. I held it until it was almost uncomfortable then I let it out. After that, I had my head back in the game where it firmly belonged.

Galleon 'The Berserker' was to act as my guard, as was Heidi. Victor was at my father's left hand. Bill was behind Sai on the right, and if Compton puffed his chest out any further he might just explode. Freyda was either expecting trouble or she was just paranoid. My money was on the latter. By the time we arrived, the ceremony was over which I was equally angry and glad about.

Everyone that was early or on time only caught the wedding reception. Security was tight for all, but I knew that once the Oklahoma vampires saw my face they went to DEFCON 1.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"Good thing I didn't bring my wooden stakes capped with silver," I muttered after my third turn through the metal detector. My dress was so fitted that not even Houdini could sneak anything in under it.

I didn't doubt that Freyda knew that I could hurt her greatly without either. Even if I could, there was no way I would be stupid enough to try anything here in the heart of her territory. With all that in mind, I had no idea what this show was about. It could be that she wanted to keep me out altogether because my father had long cleared security. That didn't make sense either. There was no security measure scrupulous enough to provide such a time lapse. The answer came to me when I was finally allowed to enter.

It was a matter of timing. Freyda wanted me in the event at a particular time, not before or after. She was a real sadistic bitch, I thought to myself, no wonder she got along so swimmingly with Ocella. I walked in just as she was showing the vampires of her state her new husband; my ex-husband. God help me! I never thought those words but they were my reality. Even unspoken, they felt like dirt on my lips and acid on my tongue but they were the truth. Ugly and unwanted as they were, they were the truth all the same.

Seeing Eric's face sent all my plans to the wayside. All I could see was the man who had been my anchor when I'd felt so lost and alone in the world. When I had no memory of my past, my family, or myself, Eric was the one thing that made sense when I didn't even feel as if I did. I saw the vampire I loved. I saw the one thing that I'd wanted more than my father's approval since I was a toddler. Everything I saw in my ex-husband existed in a time before time it seemed. As much as I loved him, he'd hurt me like nothing and no one else. As I gazed at him standing proudly beside another woman with her hand in his, I felt as though he was just somebody I used to know from a dream I'd once had. I ran through all the languages I spoke and there wasn't a single word or phrase to describe just how much pain I was in.

I'd known that people would be watching. It took more willpower than I thought I possessed, but my eyes were on anything but Eric. I was able to keep tabs on him by entering the minds of the scant humans around. It was a way for me to assuage a twisted longing. I appeased the part of me that loved and hated him.

There was no way Eric hadn't caught my scent, but he didn't so much as flinch when he glanced my way. He saw me but he looked through, past, and beyond me, leaving me feeling abandoned all over again. My face didn't give away any of the emotions churning inside but I wondered. How was it possible that the man to whom I'd given my heart and devoted my life could hurt me so much?

What had I done? What hadn't I done? Why did I want to want to break down and cry? All I'd done was cry and hurt. Why was there no end in sight?

"Dance with me."

It took me a second to realize that my father had pulled me from my thoughts. He hadn't heard them, but he must have known how much pain I was feeling. I was pieces but not too many. My mind was in one place, my heart another, and my body was just there, present and disengaged, just enduring. For the first number he was all but controlling my movements.

I felt my father testing the edges of my mind. After nearly thirty years I knew his mind's voice well. It felt just like him, certain.

_'__Has Oliver ever told you about his Buddhism and Aristotle phase?'_ He asked mentally.

For starters, the main principles of both those teachings contradicted widely. My expression was interested and more than a little disbelieving. He smiled as he leaned in and kissed my temple. His smile wasn't his smile for me, but the kiss was.

I shook my head as we continued to dance. He had taught me how to out think my enemy but also how to waltz with the best of them. I could do this in my sleep.

"I have no idea," I said aloud.

"That is not surprising,' He replied. His words were unspoken as he continued the conversation.

_'__It was embarrassing for all involved._ _My turning him was his rebirth, or so he said. He went to rediscover what had been and what was to be.' _

I burst out laughing. I just couldn't help myself, not that I tried. _"That doesn't even make any sense!" _

He gave me an eyeroll that said I didn't even know the half. I laughed so hard that I nearly missed a step. Ollie was the practical, forward thinker. I just couldn't fathom it. My father was using a classic battle tactic, distraction. I'd known it the second he pulled me up to dance. I'd taken the bait but my sheer amusement wasn't feigned. The subject matter couldn't have been better. There was nothing I liked more than learning about my big brothers. It was in part because I couldn't stand not knowing things. Mostly it was a way for me to feel closer to them.

I wasn't yet three decades old. My immediate eldest brother was over seventy-five years my senior. Meanwhile, Sai had been there while the other four of his siblings came into the family. I guess knowledge was my way to make up for my young age and lack of blood bonds. I'd envied them that, even knowing the perils it posed to my free will, I envied it still. Much like my ex-husband couldn't explain the mating phenomenon, none of my brothers could explain the ties to their Maker, my father.

_'__What happened?" I asked mentally. _

"Tell me about it?" I voiced.

My father shrugged, but I saw the slight tick in his brow as he suppressed a frown. "I let him go," He said.

_'__He was my third so I'd already learned. Nothing has the ability to cure like distance and nothing heals like time.' _

His eyes weren't light or filled with humor. This story was a distraction but he was trying to school me. He had taught me a similar lesson when I was a little girl.

_'__There are things that are beyond our control. Accept that those are the things you cannot escape or fight. Those are the things that will cause us the most pain. It is those things that you must endure but only if you deem your survival worth the suffering.' _I sent to him.

He nodded, but on his face I saw the question. Was it worth it? That was a question I hadn't asked myself. Eric had divorced me and married another woman. He had betrayed my confidence and trust. So was my suffering worth what was to come? Yes, because I refused to believe my pain had been for nothing.

My father was ever confident in me. Once he got the confirmation he needed, he ended our dance and moved on as if that encounter had been nothing. I smiled after him as Galleon and Heidi sidled up behind me as if they'd never left. For all the insecurities I claimed to have about not being full vampire, having my dad ignore my anxiety and duress was more than comforting. It was empowering. It made me feel as if I needed no one or anything else but the two legs that I stood on. That was why he had raised me the way he had because that was as it should.

I pulled in a breath and held it in until I was almost dizzy with the want of air, and then I let it go. Thereafter I was able to ignore Eric. It was probably easier because he was no longer on the same side of the room as me. Considering this was a wedding there was much to do and vendors to see. Saul, the vampire salesman extraordinaire wasn't here so there was nothing I wanted, but I was intent on entertaining myself.

I was admiring a shitty piece of art when the newlyweds came my way. Humans with an acute sense of smell would say that vampires smelled dry. Weres or two-natured insisted that the undead were sickly sweet, almost like trying to breathe through cold molasses. To me, Eric smelled like all my favorite things, regardless of my emotions. Combined with Freyda, he was like all my favorite things in strange and foreign land.

"Hello again, telepath," Freyda greeted.

Freyda's voice grated on me like silver and dirt. I knew what kind of behavior was expected of me. I knew that attacking her or ignoring wasn't an option. Currently Freyda was out of my control. No matter how badly I wanted to give into blind rage I had to endure her, no matter how much it hurt.

It took every single shred of decorum and restraint I had, but I turned to face them. I'd been holding my breath as the pair approached, but I turned to answer Freyda's greeting and my knees went weak with the scent of him. After so long without it, or him, or any form of intimate touch, my legs made all the motions to take a step forward. My arms wanted to rise and open for him.

The thing about emotions that made them dangerous was that they operated beyond the realm of reason. That was about to happen. My emotions were about to win. I was my father's daughter. I checked my impulses. I moved my feet, but it was to offer Freyda a curtsey and a nod. It was befitting of a Queen in her court. No matter how much I hated her, it was her due.

"Your Majesty," I replied.

All the while Eric didn't betray the fact that he knew my face, my name, or that just a few months ago, I was his wife. I'd expected Freyda to pick at a sore wound. I'd been geared to go tit for tat for any jab she might take to try to make my humiliation complete. She didn't. Freyda nodded at me in dismissal, and then she moved on to other guests.

The distractions I'd found were gone. I thought anger and fierce determination to task had snuffed out any and all reflexes to shed tears over what one man had done to me. It hadn't though, not when I could see his face and catch his scent. Even as he had stood in front of me with Freyda's blood wafting from his lips, his own had been there. It had tempted me and called out to me, but most of all it tormented me as nothing else in this world could.

I don't know why, but for some reason my mind played over my life with my ex-husband. It was a hyper-fast reel but I knew every second well, they had been the happiest days of my life. It wasn't just that. I knew that even if I lived forever, I would never find love or peace like that again. So what was the point? My plans would work and then what? What was there left for me? Nothing. I was nothing to him, and that was what I felt like without him.

My necklace, my tiara they were choking me; crushing me. Both pieces were suddenly too tight. It was that or all the air left my lungs and the room entirely. I made my way toward the restrooms and because this was a mostly vampire event there were only a few people who had need for the facilities.

My sixth sense was flaring to reach out to my father. I needed him to help me, but I just couldn't. This utter lack of will to do anything, even live, wasn't something I ever wanted to share with anyone. Without needing to be told, Heidi moved ahead of me to clear the way before I entered. There were only two other women there and they were chatting it up about the vampires with whom they had come. I could have taken control of their mind but I didn't. If I wasn't alone, then I wouldn't shed the tears and I could taste them.

I just made the women run their conversation in a loop. It rang over and over. It took concerted effort but I was able to focus on them. A few more minutes later and it didn't feel like I was dying anymore. I wanted to believe that I healed as quickly emotionally and mentally as I did physically, but I knew that wasn't true. Later I would have time to contemplate the details, but for now, I was just glad that I wasn't falling apart in a grand fashion. That was the best I could hope for.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 **

It felt as though a lifetime had passed, but it had only been five minutes when I returned to the ballroom. It was an act of mercy that Saul 'The Procurer' was there. He had brought what he dubbed the best dancers in the world. I had never been so happy to see that vampire in my whole life, and that included when I was four and wanted a unicorn for Christmas.

It hadn't been planned, but when Saul saw me his polite smiled turned radiant. It was almost brighter than his clothes, not an easy feat. He was wearing a velvety lemon-colored suit with a bright orange tie and neon blue undershirt. I talked to him about merchandise and he had plenty. He was even kind enough to offer to sell me a zombie for 30% off. It was going bad apparently.

Saul didn't have anything I wanted, but I spent time and money to keep my mind occupied. Every part me wanted to enter the minds of humans again and steal glimpses of Eric but I refrained. I was stronger than my nature and my sex. I only needed to endure for a little while longer. I had already activated the bugs I had Quinn plant. When I got home, I might be able to see Eric that way, from a safe distance.

Finally my dad was saying his farewells. That was my cue to exit and I took it. I was moving with Galleon toward the side exit when we were stopped by a handful of guards.

"Her Majesty Freyda has summoned you," One of them said.

"Be so kind as to repeat that," The Berserker growled with fangs out. "I did not hear."

The Berserker seemed to have materialized behind the speaker as he pressed the business end of a bladed gauntlet to his neck. There was no way the other vampire could utter another word without cutting himself, the blade was that close. He really was a madman. Galleon didn't care about his odds. All that mattered was how many he took with him. The Queen's messengers squared up and so did Heidi.

The threat of blood in the air was so thick I could barely think through it. I chuckled softly. My faux laugh made me the focal point.

"I know you are bored, Galleon, but you mustn't tease," I scolded gently. "They do not appreciate our desert sense of humor."

Heidi and I were the only ones who saw his confusion, but he released his almost-victim and returned to my side.

I smiled as I straightened the suit jacket of the other vampire he'd manhandled. "It would be my honor. Please," I said with a nod. "Do lead the way."

This was why my father raised me with impeccable manners. No matter the circumstance, showing respect always smoothed the situation. The vampire looked at me with less hostility than he did Galleon.

"Follow me."

I nodded again and did as instructed having no choice, and my guards came with. It was my guess that Heidi minded a hell of a lot more than Galleon. I was curious. I also hated to admit it, but I was eager for a chance to glimpse my tormenter, my love, my ex-husband. My heels echoed when we left the main court and moved onto a walkway that seemed to lead into the residential area. It was there she waited. Freyda. She was seated at a little patio table, alone. I was both disappointed and relieved.

"Good of you to come," She said in hello.

I curtsied. "It is an honor—"

"Enough," She interjected. "I care not for your airs. Forget that I am a queen. We are two females speaking freely."

"If that is her Majesty's wish," I qualified.

"It is," She replied.

I nodded but said nothing.

"I am the youngest queen in the New World, did you know that?"

Yes. "No."

She smiled, showing perfect little teeth that I wanted to kick in. "Lying to me when I have a map into your heart is in poor taste, Princess."

Further proof that she had been getting details of what I'd told Eric. It made me see red. It took everything I had to stay where I was. The thought of Eric telling her everything I'd told him about my life while they were or weren't in bed together was…

I swallowed back bile but nodded my head as if it her words had been nothing. "I should have seen what I presumed to be subterfuge to be truth, a farfetched truth, but truth. You were a human-Fae mutt reared in a nest of a vampire King. Of course you were well educated in vampire politics; Felipe wouldn't make such an oversight for his daughter."

So, she finally believed that I was more than a high ranking consort or a spy to the King. Yet she hadn't called off the wedding or given back what didn't belong to her.

"Before your mother's mother was even thought of, I was Queen and I knew I needed a powerful husband to fortify my rule. I wanted Eric, but Sophie-Anne would not part with her Sheriff, and I did not have the means to take him by force. When Ocella crossed my borders, patience met opportunity."

Ocella had paved the way. There was so much regret and anger but I didn't let it show. I just kept looking on as if I was getting an interesting history lesson.

"I know that you are…hurt, but do not take my actions personally," She concluded.

It was clear she was trying to make this sound like some kind of heart to heart, as if we were girlfriends and her actions had been nothing, blood under the bridge. That would be peachy, except it had been my blood, my tears, and my pain, so, not so much.

"Eric was the goal, you were the obstacle. Surely you understand simple cause and effect."

"I do," I said with a nod. "You coveted my husband. Knowing he was married, knowing he didn't want you, you conspired with his Maker knowing it would wound me. You cared nothing that it would have cost me my life when Ocella blew my cover. In fact, I think you banked on it."

She didn't have to answer. I saw it on her face. I was right. The Stackhouse farmhouse was burned down because of Eric. If I'd burned to death in it, Freyda would have won and that alone was reason to live forever.

"Forgive me for saying so, but from where I sit, Your Grace that feels extremely personal."

Her eyes narrowed. "It should not."

Freyda's expression was that of a person used to silencing another. It rang with threats of pain and her authority. No doubt that it was effective every place else, but I was no subject. I was an enemy with power of my own.

I waved my hand in a regal manner to dismiss her words. "It does, very much so," I said. "It is perception that makes reality, not the other way round."

"I am willing to offer reparations," She countered.

If I wasn't raised by vampires I would have flown off the handle and attacked her. Maybe that was the aim. She was offering to buy my husband from me, after the fact, just as she had no doubt offered Ocella some form of payment for his role. To both of them, Eric was nothing a piece of prime meat.

"Your money is meaningless to me." I told her politely. There wasn't enough of it in the world that would appease my rage or buy my love.

"It is done. He is my husband."

Then I had to ask. "Is that what you think this is? You think my father would make an enemy of you or anyone because they stole my _boyfriend_?"

Satisfaction, I felt it. Her pretty doll face contorted. I almost felt like smiling after I'd taken so many blows tonight. Freyda's eyes were green, but they were almost black as they narrowed in menace. Interesting.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "You do, don't you?"

I threw my hand over my mouth as if to hide a laugh. Meanwhile my eyes said that I was embarrassed for her. Her eyes were jet black now. It was clear that it was taking much for her not to attack. Good. I laughed outright then and my amusement wasn't feigned.

Her lips almost curled to show fang, but then she found her center. Her eyes dialed down, shifting from black to a murky green. That was not normal. I had no idea what to make of it. I kept talking in the hope that she would reveal more.

"If you think this is about Eric, it isn't."

Freyda gave a little more away as her fingers clenched into fists at her side. Her eyes darkened once again. What the hell? None of my confusion or preoccupation showed while I continued to twist the knife.

"I have seen what passes for loyalty and love with him. It isn't enough, not for me."

I couldn't force the lie through my lips and tell her she could have them. It could never be true even in a million years. Even if it was, I would free Eric from her and Ocella no matter what he thought or felt about it.

"What do you want then?" she spat.

From her clear tension, I knew that Freyda was very well aware that she had an angry vampire by the fang. That wasn't even the half of it. Soon she would start to suffer the liability that Alexei posed. She would be as surrounded as I was and there wouldn't be anything she could do. While she owned Eric on paper, she couldn't make him do anything by force without Ocella and he was a scumbag.

"Everything." I told her. I let the predator leak out of my eyes. Then I smiled sweetly while nodding my head. "I must go now for my father calls. It has truly been an honor."

I took the respectful three steps back, and curtseyed before I turned my back to her. I could feel her eyes on me. Her stare was such that the air in the corridor seemed to darken. I didn't look back. My steps didn't falter. I kept my head held high as I walked to my father. He arched a brow in question, but I smiled back and kissed his cheek as we left the venue. My exit was proper and befitting my rank. I left feeling stronger than when I had come in.

While my dad would attend the wedding of an enemy with a smile, he wouldn't let the sun find him there, despite the fact that he was a day walker. Our convoy led us to the airport where his jet was waiting. It was as if every regent who had attended Freyda's wedding refused to stay the day in her state.

Then again many of the royals who had attended were from Amun territory and they knew what I was. They knew what Eric was to me, and they were most likely expecting a bloodbath. They were wrong. The truth was that Freyda had already lost. She just didn't know it yet. There was a line but we were one of the first. Why was it that it came as no surprise that there was a bomb on my father's jet? As we got within firing range the sensors on my phone, my father's and my brother's went off simultaneously.

'Concentrated levels of Ammonium Nitrate detected: Vacate current location immediately.' The message was flashing in big bold red letters across my screen.

I didn't have to check with my brother and father to know that they were seeing the same message. My father looked as if someone had just committed some social faux pas that offended every sensibility he had. I knew then that whatever respect he had for Freyda was gone. That was good. I knew then that my father would allow me to do whatever I wished to her now. There was absolutely nothing or no one that could save her. On the other hand, Sai looked furious.

"Where is the respect?" Sai growled.

Then I had to laugh. I was actually amused. Not happy, but the fact that I was doing something complex allowed me to think about something other than my pain.

"Who in their right mind would fight you head on?" I said.

He cut me a look that said I did and often. I knew Sai would never hurt me badly; never mind kill me, but I guess there was something to be said that I sought him out for a fight. It was never painless. I laughed and he smiled which made Heidi inch away. He terrified her especially.

"What is the situation?" Victor asked looking from his phone. It made his frown pronounced because it told him nothing.

"Bomb on the jet," I replied absently.

I slid my phone under the jet and activated FIN from Sai's. It gave me a reading on the device and, from there I was able to read the schematics on the bomb. Ideally I would very much like to not have to take a taxi home.

"I will call around for daytime accommodations and alternate modes of transport," Victor said.

"No. You will smile," My father said. "You will remain in this hanger and we will socialize until the jet is ready or until the sun ends you."

I didn't feel bad for Victor, but I almost kind of sort of thought about it for a second. The fact that we were not advancing toward our ride was drawing attention. Other regents that were waiting for us to clear the runway were watching with open interest as we delayed. My father left with Victor, Sai and Galleon. He would talk about the party and when anyone asked, he would laugh off what had been an attempt on his life.

I was left with Bill and Heidi. The reason he had left me with these two was obvious. Of the people he had brought they were the lowest ranking. I could use them in whatever way I saw fit. It wouldn't come to that though, or so I hoped. If this bomb had been more sophisticated I could have defused it automatically. Freyda really did know all the details about me. This was made to be crude as to avoid detection. Had I been anyone else it would have worked.

"The timer is off," I declared.

"I had faith," Bill said. "I always have faith in you."

I don't know how my father had managed to acquire a vampire so young who was so loyal, but Bill had a one track mind.

"However," I said as if he hadn't spoken. "If someone is waiting and watching with a remote trigger in range, the bomb can be detonated. To remove the threat entirely, the bomb needs to be removed from the plane. That brings us to the earlier point of contention."

I watched while Heidi and Bill had that silent vampire communication. They were trying to decide who had the better odds of survival. If I had to guess, I would say it was Heidi, but she was the best tracker my father had and she couldn't be so easily replaced. On the other hand, Bill was the sole vampire my father trusted me with when I'd been injured and far from home. I couldn't decide between the two and dawn was near. I was running out of time.

"Bill, you will go," I ordered.

Without missing a beat he nodded. "Do you know the location?"

I faced Bill and held my hand open for his suit jacket and his tie as he relieved himself of both. It was a show of respect.

"There is a trick panel there," I pointed between the front and back wheels. "You need to rip it open, grab hold of the explosive and toss it as high up as you can and as far away as you are able."

He rolled up his sleeves and faced me. "A kiss," He said. "I have wanted that for years. I beg that you allow me this one thing."

I cupped his face and kissed him. I didn't feel anything or kiss with any passion, but it didn't matter. I was adding to the show for the sake of the regents who were riveted on every word. Bill kissed me and I let him have his way because there was very good chance he was about to be blown into a million crispy pieces. He deserved that much.

It was true that I was risking Bill's life, but if he managed to pull this off in front of present company he would be more than respected. He would earn more than a few stripes. It was moments such as these that took vampires and gave them a moniker that followed them forever. As I looked at Bill I knew he was willing to risk that. Also, if he lived, it would serve my end goal. By the time I arrived home Freyda would be the vampire that no one here wanted anything to do with. They would know that there was no place for her to go but down after attacking my father in such a manner.

We pulled apart and Bill didn't hesitate. He ghosted from my side. There had to be at least fifty vampires present. We all watched as Bill raced the speed of light. There was nothing vampires loved more than drama. Compton ripped the trick panel away and I saw the bomb detonate. He should have sacrificed the craft and pulled back, but he gave up both his hands and some of his chest instead. He tossed his bundle miles and miles into the sky. The exploding mass lit the night like a cannon. The debris rained down, but Heidi was there pulling Bill to safety from the wreckage. Galleon was kicking and punching away everything else. That was a vampire that seriously needed to take a sick day. He was nuts.

Heidi brought her wrists to Bill's fangs as she led him into the jet.

It was just as my father had taught me. _'Forever is a long time, mija, you will need currency, but your word and honor will carry the most weight of all.'_

If Freyda had any friends left in this world, they weren't in the dozen or so regents who had witnessed her act of cowardice. To those who saw this, Freyda of Oklahoma was afraid of a fair fight. They wouldn't go near her now even if she paid them to in blood. Even if we'd staged this, it couldn't have been improved on.

My pain was still there, yet growing alongside it was a feeling of triumph that I knew well. I'd showed my tormentor that I wasn't afraid. Still, it was more than that; I had turned the tables. Freyda now knew what I was. She might not have shown me she was afraid, but she was certainly frightened enough to hastily plant a bomb on my father's jet. I would be lying if I said I was disappointed by her antics. I wasn't. The truth was I was going to destroy the Queen of Oklahoma, by my own chosen method. I fantasized about all the ways I would do so as the jet ferried me home.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

I'd damaged my phone, but the feed from Freyda's court would be live by now. I should be able to see and hear the goings-on in her residence once I returned home. The eagerness must have been transparent because my father issued me a direct order.

"Bill is not safe," He said. "You will see to it that he is personally."

I nodded because I knew what he was doing as well as his motivation for it. There was no reason for me to be told to see to Bill's tending personally. He'd earned it for the role he'd played in saving our lives; it just hadn't occurred to me because I so desperately wanted to get to my lab. If I had given it a minute of attention, I would have had the presence of mind to assign the task. I hadn't, therefore; this was what I deserved for my oversight. Point to my father.

Bill owned and lived in a condo off the strip. By the time we arrived, the sun was up but the entire city was sleep. I secured Bill to the bed in his day chamber with silver cording lined with lead. This would keep him where he was while he healed. I then called Genie to have donated human blood delivered. It was blood that was rejected and not cleared for consumption, but barring Sino-Aids, it would nourish a vampire, and it was precisely what Bill needed.

I could have had Genie come here to do the transfusion, but the safety risk would be too high. Once Bill's healing began, and it would be almost immediate when he began receiving blood, there would be nothing left of the southern gentleman he displayed to the world at large. He would be as dangerous as a cornered, wounded animal, or a mindless predator, and he would kill having no control over himself. That wouldn't be until later. For now, I had to get home. I just had to see Eric again.

My fingers shook while I pulled up the feed on the screens of my lab. I looked into the home beyond the Royal court belonging to Freyda. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest knowing what I would find, though not knowing was more unbearable.

I forced myself to take down the schematics of the home. It was, after all, the purpose of this devious expedition. I made note of every square inch and every guard present. All the vampires were dead for the day. There would be no eavesdropping secrets to steal. I copied every password and rotation schedule I could gather as the daytime staff went about their duties. I played back the footage. I watched myself while I had the private meeting with Freyda after the wedding. I saw her place a call, most likely to whomever she had waiting to bomb my father's jet. I continued searching until I found the one person I cared most about and it was as though nothing was separating us but distance. There was no insidious Maker or …his new wife.

Eric looked as he always did when he wanted to be left alone. He was a in a room that didn't resemble him in the least. It was decorated in gold and purple, nothing at all resembling the bright colors that had made up our home in Shreveport. The amount of opulence wasn't something he cared for either. I could almost feel his craving to leave, but this was his room, his prison. There was no place for him to go. There was no place for him to just lay his head and be at ease.

In the footage he was still in the shirt and pants he'd worn with his tux. His sleeves were rolled up, and he sat on a winged loveseat with his eyes fixed on the window. I watched him and the question left my lips and more tears ran down my face. I hated him for making me cry, but I loved him for all the times he had held me as I did.

"What are you doing, baby?" I asked.

I was desperately staring at the screen with blazing intensity hoping it would reveal secrets to me. I knew I had threatened Eric with the princess I was raised to be. Angry as I'd been, I was so certain that ruthless part of me would grant him no pardon for his actions, but it had. In all the plans I had and the complex steps it took to bring them forth, hurting him wasn't possible. I saw his face, and such as it was all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball with the image of him and weep.

How was it that I could think ten steps ahead of any opponent, yet when it came to the man I loved, the man I knew more intimately than myself, I couldn't imagine what was driving him. He wanted to save his Maker from his ex-wife, but wasn't there any other way? I was logical. I could pretend at least, just to be with him.

Eric could have told Ocella that I was more than human and a Princess no less. It would make me look a hell of a lot more attractive than Freyda in the grand scheme of things. Even if he didn't like me, he would fear my father at the very least; he would still see a way into a royal court. Emulating prestige and status was important to that Roman deadbeat, I knew that much. So why didn't Eric work that angle with him? He knew Ocella well enough to do it. If Eric had done that, maybe none of this would have happened, but he hadn't. Why?

I felt as if there was something major that I was missing. The most logical reason would be that Eric didn't think it wise. It was equally possible that he didn't think I would go for it, and then I would see Ocella as the threat he was and kill him; or it could have been that he didn't think it would make a difference. Ocella was beyond caring about the benefits of Eric remaining with me. I had attacked him. I had almost ended him. Perhaps this could have just been a way to punish Eric and hurt me. No, that was the least plausible. No vampire was that petty.

No. I wasn't sure, but there was an explanation for the reason my ex-husband had taken us both on this painful journey, and it was because he had decided Ocella was worth the pain. He didn't want to sacrifice his Maker for me. That answer that had seemed so plausible didn't fit once in this light. Did it really matter? No, it didn't. I had my plans. By the time I figured out his motivations, Eric would be returned to me. Then he could look me in the eyes to explain why and how he could do this to me, to us.

I continued to watch the footage though Eric never moved, yet he seemed to get tired at the same time. My fingers itched to touch him, to wash away the coldness in his eyes. The door opened and Ocella dragged in a frenzied Alexei. The Roman was sporting a broken nose obviously caused by his charge.

"Keep him still," He ordered.

I wasn't sure if it was an edict or not. In any case, Eric arose from his place on the chair where he had at least been pretending to be at peace and complied. It took the use of his telekinesis but he was able to subdue Alexei. There was no emotion on his face, but his words were uncensored.

"His mind is broken," Eric advised. "If you have any care for him at all, you will ease his passing."

"I gave him eternity. He will not abandon it without my permission," Ocella hissed. "Before me he was nothing, just as you were."

Ocella really was a demented and sadistic bastard. What was Eric before he came along? The Viking warrior son of a Chief, that's what. Alexei was the youngest Tsar in Russian history, and this vile creature was trying to take credit for both! I had pegged him right that first time, but even I didn't know all the ways. He really was a lowlife. I don't know who had turned him, but I knew that he lived for this. Ocella wanted to be a part of that upper echelon he had no hope, nor opportunity to be a part of during his life or his undead existence.

I continued to watch while Ocella sliced his wrist with one of his long finger nails and moved the open wound over the child's mouth. Alexei drank and, with every hungry gulp, his body ceased its fight as he became more susceptible to the edicts of his Maker, but his eyes never lost their deranged stare. They just glazed over while he gorged himself.

Once Alexei became more compliant, Eric released him. Ocella smiled a crooked smile that was filled with more than a little lust. Watching Eric be party to this was more than disappointing, it was traumatic. In that moment, I finally began to accept that he was stuck in a situation that I would never fully comprehend.

As I sat there taking in all of these scenes, it struck me that this was the same man who had talked with me about us adopting and raising children, yet he sat idly by while one was violated by his precious Maker! It was more than that. That boy wasn't just too dangerous to be allowed to live; he wanted to die, but he was forced to continue. I knew that for Ocella, Eric would justify Alexei's suffering just as I had, but it wasn't enough anymore.

This, what was happening to all of us because of Ocella, was madness. It had to be stopped because it was infecting me even from this distance. It literally felt as if I was turning into a different person, one who was always in varying degrees of pain. It was making me crazy.

I hated Eric a little, at least I think I did, at the very least I wanted to. The scorned female in me could acknowledge that, but not even that cold, hard fact could negate the bond between us. I hated myself for the weakness more than I could ever hate him. I couldn't break that tie, but for me, so what other choice was there? He was my Mate and I was His.

I couldn't hurt Eric even if I wanted to; even if I thought he deserved it. I wrestled with my doubts and fears, but still I had no clear cut answer. Not even after Ocella left with Alexei did I find an answer. I was just glad that Eric was alone again because alone was how I knew he wanted to stay. Fast forwarding left me with nothing good to watch. This was all I had of us at the moment. I watched him as he resumed watching the fast waning light of the moon.

"Maybe she is watching if not listening," Eric murmured quite suddenly.

I froze. If he knew, he would have to tell and my advantage would be lost. I knew the risk, but I hung on every word because they were for me, and then I had to curse the design of the bugs. I couldn't speak to him, this was the only chance, and it had passed me by hours ago. Damn!

"If she is, if I could talk to my Mate…" He said the words as if testing whether or not he could continue. He could and he did. What I heard broke the little pieces left of me. "I would tell her that she needs to let me go," He whispered. "I would tell her that I know surrender is not the philosophy upon which she was raised and that she would accept death before dishonor but her fight for her husband… It is over. I would beg her to abandon me because it will kill her if she does not."

"Then I'll die," I said, touching his face. "I would die for you."

It was only on screen, but it made me feel as if he was mine again. The door to his room suddenly opened and I saw Freyda. I knew immediately, without a doubt, that no matter what I had thought about what was to come, there was no way I could see it. She was dressed in a floor-length, silky robe and not much else. I was literally, physically incapable of moving. I couldn't watch her climb atop my husband. I couldn't watch as his Maker's command forced him to do… I couldn't watch but I couldn't look away either.

For once I wasn't crying because of Eric; I was crying for him. It was one thing to know that a creature as powerful as him had been reduced to this, nothing more than a puppet, a slave. I knew it, but it… to know that he didn't want her hands on him yet there was nothing he could do… It killed me, and for the millionth time I had to ask myself, why he was doing this for Ocella? No one was worth this, not even me.

Freyda walked over to him and sat beside him. It wasn't close enough to touch, but for vampires, she was violating his personal space by a very wide margin. I gripped my desk so hard it splintered and the shards cut into my fingers. Blood dripped from the wounds and down to the floor. I barely felt it.

"Elevated stress patterns and blood matching Princess Sookie have been detected," FIN said, projecting his hologram next to me.

On the screen closest to me, I could see my vitals and what was normal and what I was trending at the moment. My heart beat was off the charts. I growled. Half the features FIN had, he used to annoy me. Well, that wasn't exactly true.

When I was given this lab, I was child. Genius though I was, I'd had accidents. I had singed my eyebrows and set fires so many times I had lost count. This was why one of the main features my father had insisted I add to FIN was safety so at least someone was watching over me when I was held up in my lab for hours on end.

"Emergency protocol initiated," FIN said. "Help is on the way."

The last thing I needed was for my brother to come bursting through those doors because FIN had sent an alarm. "FIN," I called.

"Princess,"

"Deactivate emergency protocol, authentication code, 'Can't touch this'," I snapped, letting go of the desk.

"Command confirmed. Emergency protocol deactivated."

I used my sweater to mop the blood but I didn't as much as blink from the nightmare I was watching.

"Your time with me could be as pleasurable as you are willing to make it," Freya said to Eric. If I didn't know better I would say that she may have been trying to entice him, as if.

"I am aware," He replied.

"Then tell me what purpose do you think your continued defiance serves?" she ordered.

I was watching this hours after it happened. So maybe the smugness I could see on her face was brought on by the fact that she thought she had won with her sloppy and hasty preemptive strike.

"This isn't defiance," he told her quite calmly. "This is fear."

Freyda inched closer and combed her fingers through his hair just because she knew she could. There was a coy smile on her face. She knew she owned him.

"Obey me and you have no need to fear me."

Eric looked at her and I knew that look. It was so open, sincere, and it called all kinds of stupid. Then he laughed. It was an honest to goodness chuckle that was as real as any he had ever shared with me. It warmed me and made me smile just to hear it.

"I am afraid of Sookie," He said. "I have always been afraid of that woman and you should be too."

I saw it again; that slight change in the eye color of the Queen when her anger flared. She straddled Eric and wrapped a hand around his throat.

"I grow weary of your attachment to that mutt!" she hissed coming nose to nose with him. "I am your wife, your Queen. You will show respect."

Eric wrapped his arms around her waist. I wasn't the only who was shocked. Freyda stilled, but then she leaned in closer to him and let go of his neck. Her hands moved to drape around his neck. If not for the dead look in his eyes his pose might be mistaken for intimate.

"You are my wife, my current Queen, and I pity you that more than you will ever know. What is more unfortunate is that you do not have the sense to fear what has been unleashed. Sookie is going to hurt you, so very badly. Nothing in this world can save you, my Maker, or me. We are all going to burn for the way we wronged her and she will set the flame to our pyre."

Eric dropped one hand but before he could the other, Freyda reached for it and kept it around her waist.

"I have powers that you cannot imagine," She said.

She brought his free hand back around her waist and when she was sure he would leave it there she showed him, us, her secret weapon. Freyda's eyes went dark and I could see that her power was making Eric uneasy, but he didn't flinch. It was more than I could say. I was anxious for him because there was something wrong about her.

I watched with mounting anxiety. Freyda ran both palms over her face, continuing over her full length of hair. When she was finished she was wearing my face, and her hair was blonde like mine. I almost fell out of my seat. I was a human-Fae-vampire hybrid. I mean, my very physiological makeup was an inherent contradiction, so I always had an open mind, but what was this… Freyda was a witch! How was that even possible?

One of my best friends was a witch so I knew how powerful she had to be in order to able to do something of that magnitude. Transfigurations were a mark of a Cardinal witch. Amelia was a Cardinal, but I didn't think even she could make it look this easy or steal faces. It all made sense then. Freyda wasn't even a hundred and fifty and she was a royal.

There was no doubt that she had been ruthless and cunning. Being a witch was what got her where she was. I could feel the flare of power while we had talked at her wedding. I had seen eyes vacillate from a bright emerald green to black. Vampires were creatures who were rooted in magic and a witch with enough power could indeed rule them. That was where my husband was. My jaw was close to hitting the floor; all the while, Eric looked as though he was watching paint dry.

"I can protect you and I will. All I ask is your obedience," Freyda said and she had stolen my voice too. "Give that to me and I will make your time with me more than pleasant."

Eric never got a chance to answer. Freyda kissed him. I never got to see if he would reciprocate, if only out of self-preservation and loneliness. They sprang apart when Alexei came bursting back into the room. He was shirtless and had a broken bottle of blood in his hands. His top half was painted in blood and I could see that none of it was synthetic. It was very clear he was on a rampage. Of all the guards who were after him, Ocella was nowhere in sight. It was my hope that he had ended that bastard, but I knew I wasn't that lucky. Just to be sure, I checked the estate and sure enough, Ocella was on the wrong side of the veil covered in blood and naked but still very much undead. It was just as well. I wanted to do the deed with my own two hands.


	28. Chapter 28

I sent a message out to Amelia and had included my father, brothers, and even Victor in the copy portion. I then went to shower in an attempt to decompress. I was trying to sort through all I had learned, all I felt, and all I thought I should feel. They differed vastly. At the end of a half-hour stint under hot water I still hadn't a clue. It didn't matter. I had information that I could use and leads to follow.

I don't know why, but Amelia still lived at home with her mother, Lori, and Genie, her stepfather. It was five hundred steps from my house, the one my father bought for me when he brought me home. I knew it was five hundred steps because we had counted when Genie had bought that house. Then again, the house was big enough to accommodate her. Whatever the reason I was glad she was so close. Fast as I was, it took me a full minute to get over there after she had told me she had information.

"This is incredible!" Amelia said in hello.

I wouldn't use those choice words exactly. "Not her, I hate her but what she is…" she continued. "It's like Haley's comet."

Amelia had met me on the porch but in her animated state, she pulled me into the house, up the stairs, past the living area, and into her section of the home.

"Vampires are magic," She explained. "So it stands to reason you cannot make that which makes you. It's all about balance. It is the same thing that bans vampires from the sun that makes sunlight essential to humans. Balance is also why there are accidental turns with vampires as well as duds."

An accidental turn was what happened when a vampire gave a human blood that typically wasn't enough to turn them but it did. A dud was just the opposite. It was what happened when a vampire wanted to turn a human and, despite the proper climate and method, the turn didn't take. The intended human never rose.

"Attempting to turn a witch should result in dud?" I asked, knowing that wasn't the case.

"It should, but with all rules there are exceptions. Think about it, instead of your dad having a V-addict crack baby because he gave you blood daily, he had you."

"Point mutation—"

Before I could fall into a very detailed, scientific explanation she pulled out a book. It was so heavy that it made her desk creak. It was also covered in enough dust to make me want to sneeze.

"I keep telling you and Genie. Spells and science aren't that different. There are exceptions to every rule. You are one and Freyda is another. Both are very rare."

"But there aren't other hybrids," I said. I had looked. I had searched desperately and my father and Dr. Wexler had helped. We had even contacted Saul, and even the procurer had come up empty.

"Haley's comet, it doesn't mean never. It's just once in a lifetime," she reminded. "Anyway, wiccans, casters, sorceresses, or whatever you call witches, they all draw power from life of the earth. If you die, it is presumed that power dies with you, even if you come back."

"Like when a werewolf is turned and can no longer phase," I murmured

She nodded. "Here is the disturbing part," She said flipping through several pages. "The books say she should no longer be able to pull from the earth and she can no longer pull from life. So she should have no power."

Shit. "She pulls from death." And she was dead, surrounded by the dead.

"I know what you're thinking, but I can't help," Amelia said, putting the book away into the same dusty cubby. "She is a Cardinal."

"So are you," I argued.

"I am also only twenty-nine-years old," She replied. "Combined and multiplied my mom and I, we don't have the juice."

Freyda had them beat in her lifetime alone, and Amelia and her mom weren't part of a coven. All my carefully laid plans were shot. One fact hadn't changed. She was going to meet her end and soon.

"Are there any special instructions to ending her or will chopping off her head work just fine?" I asked point blank.

"You need to be very careful, Sookie." She told me. "But yes, that should work."

While Freyda would have been expecting a delicately played game, I was going to skip the fancy footwork and kick it old school. A full scale assault from dusk until dawn; there would be blood in the streets, public executions by the handful, torture chambers, and business and homes razed to the ground.

In short, I had been planning to reign down the wrath of Heaven and Hell down on Freyda's head. This plan satisfied my craving for blood and was the most vicious thing I could come up with while I punished those who had wronged me. It would brand me a monster and Freyda's name a curse to vampires everywhere because it wouldn't have been a battle for a throne, it would have been a blood bath.

Freyda was young and didn't have many powerful fighters. She had Ocella and Eric, but I knew he wasn't willing and Ocella's loyalty was iffy at best. Sai commanded a band of heavy hitters, and was a force to be reckoned with on any day, being a daywalker aside. My father had good roster of loyal and powerful fighters. I was the fastest hybrid my family knew, and I could bring a vampire to their knees with a mental punch. Then there was Victor. He was a vampire eater.

When it was over, survivors would be released. They would tell of the horrors they had witnessed, and the day would live in infamy. My father wouldn't even have watch his back or end anyone for a long time. That angle was shot now.

I ate breakfast at Amelia's but, despite having a very interesting conversation with Genie about the uses of the Zebra fish, I couldn't focus. My head was in the same place where my heart lived, with Eric. With the current course I had set, I would be Queen of Oklahoma by the end of the month. Now I didn't know and it ate at me.

I was still trying to reconfigure my plans when Caspian called me that afternoon.

"You forgot about me," He accused.

I did. "No, something just came up."

He sucked his teeth in a very bitchy manner, "And you forgot about me."

I took a left that would take me back toward the suburbs instead of continuing into the city and the hospital to pick up the blood for Bill. Caspian and I had plans to get together after I returned from Oklahoma. He hadn't even bothered to hide the fact that it was to check on me, but with the mornings events it had totally slipped my mind.

"You know, it's not easy being your friend," Caspian said, sucking his finger to staunch the wound. It had been nothing more than a pin prick but…there was a wounded vampire in the room.

We were in Bill's house and I was hooking a bag of blood into every vein I could find. Seeing both his hands were gone it wasn't easy. I begged Caspian for blood and he reluctantly gave in.

"I told you it was going to be a working lunch," I said as if I had no idea what the problem was. "I need him in top form soon. If you would give me just a little more…"

Not only was faery blood irresistible to the undead, it worked miracles to their bodies at least if they were hurting physically. It hadn't done much for me in my time of need.

"You drink blood so you cannot fathom just how intensely the Fae abhor bloodletting, especially for vampires," He said. Despite Bill being bound and dead for the day; he was hiding behind my back. It made conversation hard.

"You did though, so did Claudine," I implored. "I only need a little more."

He was looking at me as if I was being dense. "She did it to save me," He replied "I did it to save you because you are my best friend in all the worlds."

His words reminded me of a conversation I'd heard from what had felt like a dream, except it wasn't a dream. When I'd been catatonic in bed and was dying he had reached out to her. He had been talking to Claudine and I'd heard something similar.

"What exactly would have happened to you if I'd died under your care?" I asked.

"Niall cursed your death with all the fury and power of an entire species. Unless you die willingly and happily, anyone deemed responsible for your end will suffer a curse that is so vile that I cannot even translate the meaning in any language I know. All the Fae, elves, angels, and even some pixies and sprites know your face. That is why none of them will come near you for fear of something befalling you while they are about. I risk much for your company, so you are welcome."

I smiled because that was such a Caspian answer. Sick as it was I was touched. I guess I wasn't the only one that had seen my association as more than a job. It was why I had fought to defend the Fae and it was why he had done this. It had nothing to do with being directly descended from his line. I had proven myself and he was doing the same.

We found a place close by and had lunch. Then I proceeded to vomit on him emotionally. It wasn't that I thought my father didn't know this was painful for me. I knew he did. I knew he understood I loved Eric. In fact, I felt as if he was trying to understand my attachment after the betrayal. He couldn't though. Caspian was the only one who understood the intense mental confusion and emotional turmoil that Eric's name alone caused me. I think it was because he had been there, at my Happily Ever After. He had known me when I had been so happy and in love that I couldn't think straight.

"He wants to tell me something," I said.

"For you to trust him and for you to let him go," Caspian replied.

I gave him the same answer I did when he suggested that the first time. "I can't."

"You saved an entire race. You are a living Princess of the Undead and the Fae. There is nothing you cannot do."

He had me there. "This is different," I sighed.

He nodded easily. "There is something else I wanted to talk to you about."

Glad that my weakness was no longer the focal point of the discussion, I bit. "What's up?"

"Fintan."

I was already shaking my head but he spoke over me. "He tracked me down to make sure you had recovered. He asked about you. I think he just wants to know you. So, I told him. Not the personal stuff, just your likes and quirks that sort of thing, you know?"

I nodded politely.

"You two are alike in the brilliance department, except his is with enchantments, although he gives off the mad scientist vibe."

I gave another polite nod.

"He wanted to track you down but I advised against it and said I would talk to you instead. So, what do you think?"

"About what?" I countered blandly.

He rolled his eyes. "I really hate it when you do this tit for tat, conversational chess bullshit. You know god damn well what I mean. He wants to meet you. Do you want to meet with him?"

I sighed. I wasn't sure which topic made me most uncomfortable, the one about my ex-husband or my biological father. Truth was, I appreciated what Fintan did for me back in Florida, but I also felt as though he wanted something I couldn't give, especially not now. I was a mess emotionally. I had a takeover that I had to replan around because of a witch Queen. I had duties here in my father's state. Since watching the footage I was now more than worried for Eric.

What manner of hell would he be faced with when the sun fell tonight? How much could he endure before I got to him? Meeting my Fae sperm donor of a parent was not something I would do if my life was perfect. There was certainly no room in my life for it now. It was more than timing, there would never be a place for Fintan Brigant in my life, period.

"I have a father and it isn't him," I said honestly.

"He may be able to help you."

"And then what?" I asked. "Is he going to work off thirty years of absence with favors?"

Caspian's response was to stuff bread in his mouth and I dialed down my irritation. "I know you feel like him being in my life might somehow heal everything that's wrong but it wouldn't."

It just wouldn't. I didn't have daddy issues. I had a father, and he was a great one. He had given me a life that other little girls dream of.

"There is no place in my life for him, nothing can change that. Not his stunt with Claudine, not him saving me, and not you advocating for him."

He nodded. It took a few minutes of awkward silence but we found our easy rapport. It was the best two hours of my day because Caspian had a way of being so self-absorbed that it drew you out of your own mood and into his, which was always good. I needed good. I was desperate for it.

"This is bad," My father said when I arrived home later that afternoon. He along with Sai and Nim had woken early so I could bring them up to speed.

Sai looked entirely disappointed that he wouldn't be getting to go on a war path. It was a first but I felt the same way.

"The claim with the Pythoness has already been submitted?" I asked.

My father nodded. "It has cleared the Counsel and I am waiting to hear from her scribes directly."

I had made Arkansas and Louisiana Republics, and now I was coming to take them back. It was a loophole in the emancipation that we were going to manipulate. My father would claim that the money I used to buy the independence of those states was his. It was kind of true. He would also claim that I had been Queen Regent, not a full Queen, and so I had no right to do what I had done. That was very true; it was what made me have to pay off all the regents in Amun. I didn't have his permission.

Due the substantial sum, he had been granted a special hearing in which to file his suit. He would win. Ownership of the states would be reverted to him and he would then bestow them upon me properly. That was one of the reasons I needed to borrow a lot of money from my brother. A Republic didn't a rich vampire kingdom make. I had to stimulate my economy.

That wasn't the bad part. The issue was this; had my ownership of Louisiana and Arkansas come on the heels of me reining Hell on Freyda, all would be smooth. I could institute my regime easily, but now that route wasn't feasible. I knew I would get resistance and, oddly enough, I didn't want to kill any of those vampires. They had every right to want to kill me, but that had been personal. We were even. I had been instrumental in the demise of their Queen and many friends. I wanted a new start.

"It will be messy, but we will do only what we must in taking Shy's states." Sai said. I was sure the amount of blood involved wasn't the motivation behind his suggestion. "There are very few Master vampires in residence there."

My father looked thoughtful. "It would take longer, but how you rule those states could pave the way to taking Oklahoma."

I didn't have to think about it. "It is not necessary," I said.

Three sets of eyes looked at me in question. "Minor setback," I said with a smile.

"In fact, it's easier this way."

It was more than that. I would get a front row seat into the systematic downfall of what was once a mighty Queen. I would watch as the world closed in around her and I would enjoy her descent into ruin and despair. I explained that much to my father. He smiled. Sai scowled. It made this new plan all the better.

Minor setback indeed. I just needed to be more aggressive but not physically. I had the money and favors to call in. My original plan would have satisfied my craving for brutality. This way, Freyda did the dirty work for me. If I did this properly, Eric would be back in my arms sooner than anticipated.

If I said it was easy to reconfigure things around the new development, I would be lying. However, using stealth may allow me to get what I wanted sooner. Instead of just using the eyes and ears I had in Freyda's home to get security information for a very hostile invasion, I would use it to isolate Freyda. Seeing she was a witch that drew from death, she would be weaker with every subject she lost.

I would be getting crucial and closely guarded secrets, and I would use them in a way that would make Freyda sure that someone closest to her had betrayed her. I would sit back and watch as she wrongfully accused and punished those that were dearest to her for treason. She would be distraught if only a little by the presumed betrayals, it would make her wary, paranoid, and so very vulnerable.

Speed was my niche so it meant waiting was my game. It wouldn't be long now. With Ocella lurking around, Freyda would make a mistake soon, and I would pick her apart one friend, ally, and business venture at a time, until she had nothing and no one left. That bitch wanted my husband, but she had reached too high, and when I was done she wouldn't have a single thing in this world to call her own.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

I received invaluable information that very night. I tapped into the ears I had in her home and Freyda gave it all up. It seemed she had somehow made a friend in Isaiah of Kentucky. It felt as if it had been so long ago I had beaten him into submission so he would agree to the emancipation of my states as the other regents of Amun.

Obviously he hadn't forgotten. He thought in aligning with Freyda he stood a better chance. Little did he know that I had already pulled his card years ago. I knew Isaiah would be the first to break confidence despite what I'd paid. From what I could hear of the conversations he had with Freyda, he was attempting to see which other royals he could rally to align with her. So far he wasn't having much success.

Most vampires were too heavy into self-preservation and paranoia to ally even to vanquish a common threat. They also had little respect for Freyda after her stunt with the bomb. Plus the amount of money I paid wasn't so easily forgotten. No, they would watch as she burned and she definitely would.

Isaiah should be the first thing I took from Freyda and it was tempting, but I didn't give into it. I needed to start slow. Delivering a blow that size this early wouldn't have the desired effect. If my takedown was systematic I might not even have to touch him. He would sense he was on the losing side and abandon ship.

Later that night in her royal court, I heard every single word Freyda shared with her second in command. I would have to find out if he was her child. I didn't think so. She didn't regard him with the same ease as a Maker would their child. I looked closer at the vampire named Bishop and saw the almost glazed look in his eyes.

No, he wasn't her child but a bespelled puppet. Again I feared for Eric. She could make him do anything; love her, hate me, forget me, and die for her. Panic rose but I fought it tooth and nail. I needed to be smart and the smart thing to do was to gather information. That night was easy because Eric wasn't there. He was no doubt tending to his Maker and restraining his helpless vampire sibling. It tormented me but I was also relieved. If Eric wasn't near Freyda, then she couldn't hurt him.

By the second night I knew I would have to force Freyda's hand. Our avoiding the bomb was making her cautious. Battle Strategies 101, I needed to distort. I wanted to get into her home, in her day chambers, and make it obvious that I had been. Then I would lead a trail to a royal guard of hers. It would get this started. When I told my father my plan, he approved but sent Nim instead.

"I do not think you will able to restrain yourself from ending her prematurely," He told me.

His tone said I could argue but I didn't want to be liar, so I said nothing. Even if I argued to go along with Nim, we all knew Nim wouldn't stop any of us from doing anything we wanted. When dawn was close, my brother dressed in human garb and tried to look as human as possible, but of all my family he had the most trouble. I think it was because he had never been treated like a human being by anyone other than my father.

_'__I will end her if you want me to.'_ He sent me as I drove him to the airport. _'If it would make you like you used to be.'_

Thing was, he would too, and my father wouldn't say a thing. He never questioned Nim. So tempting…

"No," I said. "It's too early and it may place the one thing I desire further beyond my reach."

He nodded.

I watched as Nim entered the home of Freyda without as much as a whisper. He moved silently even for a vampire. It garnered him curious looks from the humans but no one questioned him because he had all the passcodes and clearances. Seeing all the help present were human or two-natured he could glamour the image of himself from their minds, but he didn't. The point of this was to make Freyda believe someone close to her was giving her up to her enemy. That would be unquestionable when she saw Nim's face in their minds and the ease with which he moved.

Nim found his way down to the catacombs where all the vampires rested. He took a shirt that belonged the one we chose to frame and rubbed his scent on it. He would hide it later somewhere private for anyone to find. I watched as my brother climbed over the still frame of the woman I hated most in the world. He took the note I'd written and he staked it into her pillow just beside her head.

It read:

_'__Ending you in you in your sleep would be more than you deserve. Sleep well_.'

_-Princess Sookie Stackhouse of Nevada_

I knew in that moment that my father had been right. I wouldn't have had the self-control not to position the stake lower and to the left. It would put her out of my misery.

I didn't crash although I had been coming up on my thirtieth hour. I waited for Nim at the airport. There were a few hours until dark and I knew that when I rose it would be pandemonium in the court of the whore Queen. I wasn't wrong. At first dark, Freyda did exactly what I wanted her to do. She called all her guards and she was furious.

"How did she get into this house?"

I gave an evil chuckle. Wouldn't she like to know?

She drilled them all and after a few minutes I knew who her suspects were. The estate was turned upside down and the shirt containing Nim's scent was found. Whether or not it was familiar wasn't important. It had gotten into the heart of her keep. Freyda traced it back to her day chamber. I didn't stick around to see how the presumed traitor was punished. I searched the estate for Eric and found him back in the same room. I waited for hours hoping he would talk to me again, even if it was the only roundabout way he was able. He didn't.

I talked to him. Mostly I cursed him out. I also confessed how much he hurt me, how betrayed I felt, and how much I missed and loved him. My words were lost to the ether but even with the distance that separated us I felt closer for it. Hours passed and with every second of it, I just got more relieved.

Eric was being left alone. That, too, was the only benefit I needed to appreciate the genius of this new course of action. Freyda oddly hadn't demanded he consummate their union yet. I knew she couldn't tonight. Last I checked she and her mindless second, Bishop, were directly overseeing the change of her passwords and the installation of a new door into her bed chamber. It was time locked and could withstand a nuclear attack. So not even she could let herself out. It would keep her safe if I wasn't a genius that could hack codes with the best of them.

When that was done she set him to glamour the humans. When she was sure she was alone, her eyes changed as she magically warded the room. Interesting. I made a note of that to crosscheck with Amelia. It would rattle her more if I could get to her while she thought herself most secure. Dawn was three hours away when I heard the commotion. Eric heard it too. His ears twitched but he didn't move. I searched the entire mansion and saw the source. Alexei was loose again.

Ocella wasn't a victim this time, which was a pity. Alexei had stalked one of the technicians that had come to service the Queen's day chamber. The poor man had his hand on his neck attempting to stop the gushing flow of blood from where he'd been bitten. He screamed and brought the guards. They attempted to drag him away but they only further incited Alexei. His vampire was on the surface and he let it loose on them. He wounded three before they were able to stop him. Ocella was nowhere in sight and I knew that it was because he didn't care.

I was tired but after Eric went to ground for the day, I stayed awake. That incident had given me an excellent point of attack. Using the logo on the van of the security company, I reached out to them. I called and inquired about the man that had been attacked. His name was Jermaine Hosely. He lived but barely. He was in the hospital and they were giving me some story about how a blade of a saw broke and lodged in his neck.

"My name is Sookie Stackhouse," I said to his wife. "You don't know me but I want to help you."

Humans could sue vampires, but for obvious reasons it never worked out well for the human. However, Mr. and Mrs. Hosely and I had something in common. I left Genie to coordinate the transfer of Mr. Hosely out of the hospital in Oklahoma. His wife and child came with. The next step would be to get them the best lawyer money could buy. Then I sent out notices to people and family members of people who had ever been employed by the Queen of Oklahoma. If they or their loved ones were hurt they could be entitled to compensation. It didn't even have to be true. I just needed to tie her up in a shit storm of a lawsuit. The more public it became, the more pressure she would get from vampires all over to settle the case.

I crashed around noon, and when I woke it was after dark and tuned into my favorite channel. He wasn't alone. Freyda and Ocella were with him. To my delight, it looked like they were having a disagreement.

"You must control him," Freyda said.

"It was only one human," Ocella said dismissively. "He survived the attack, did he not?"

Freyda looked at Eric and he had that cold as ice look to him. She wouldn't find a friend there. She knew it. Yeah, bitch, you wanted my husband, there you go. Deal with his Psycho Maker too.

"Felipe is insistent on going to war with me over your child. While you have fulfilled your end of our bargain thus far, I require more of you and, in exchange, I will mend the broken mind of your boy."

Ocella, who had been looking contemplative, now looked suspicious. To demonstrate, Freyda opened her palms and I knew power had begun to leak from her when Ocella growled a warning and flashed fang. Fire bloomed from her hands but it didn't burn. She had him and she knew it. Oddly enough Eric and I were wearing the same expression of foreboding. I didn't know how I knew but I felt like she was hustling him.

"Help me remove a common enemy and I will help you."

I watched for a reaction as his wife plotted once again with his Maker to kill me. Eric now looked as if he might yawn. He might have look less bored if he actually did. I didn't know if I should take that as a sign that he wasn't worried about me or that he didn't care.

"We will fight with you," Ocella promised.

Freyda put out the flames and turned on Eric. "Tell me everything you know about Sookie. Start with how she got into this house. Did you help her? Do you know who did?"

The look of flagrant arrogance and devil may care flare that was part of his appeal was present in full. He stared Freyda down and said nothing.

"Answer her question, Eric, fully and truthfully," Ocella commanded. Eric's shoulders bunched and his neck seemed to get weak but he didn't bow. In that moment I forgave him every presumed act of betrayal. How awful it must be for him to be broken down in this way. I saw that he fought it, but it wasn't even a matter of enduring pain. It was a compulsion that was more than my need for air. It was in his very blood.

Tears, treacherous tears, once again clouded my vision. It was as though Ocella had a million infected tenterhooks into every cell of his body that he used to control him. Freyda was attempting to sink her claws into him too. Neither of them knew him, or loved him as I did, so they would rip him apart and they would think nothing of it.

"I have already told you everything I know. Sookie is half-human, but it is unclear how much of her is Fae and vampire—"

"I know her history. Tell me how did she get into the house? Did you help her?" Freyda interrupted.

"I don't know. I did not help her."

Some of the murderous rage waned from her eyes. "Have you had any contact with her at all?" she asked.

"Yes," he bit out. He told them about how he had left the car while Freyda had met with my father and sought me out knowing I would be there.

"I wanted to tell her I loved her and that I was sorry, but she was too furious to listen," He replied.

That wasn't entirely true but it wasn't a lie. He was hiding a good portion of that conversation for obvious reasons. He was plotting to end her. "She said I abandoned her to die, she threatened me, and banned me from her father's state."

"And since the wedding?" Freyda asked. "Have you had contact with her?"

"Yes," Eric ground out.

Her eyes narrowed. "When, where, and what was the nature of the conversation?"

I held my breath because he had talked to me in that very room mere days ago. "Here, in this house, in this room."

That caused both Freyda and Ocella to stop. His answers had been direct and contradictory, but I had to smile at his cunning.

"Explain this," Ocella said.

Eric had been doing nothing more than thinking out loud to me that one time. This was exactly why it had only been once. In that moment he could say he was speaking to the ether much like I had been doing. If he'd made himself believe I was listening then he wouldn't be able to lie about it now. He did and he added a heartbreaking truth that he knew they would prey on, but it would stop them from prying.

"I talk out loud… it makes me feel closer to her and that is what I want more than anything because I will never see her face again."

Ocella sneered in disgust. They didn't leave him alone. They just wouldn't quit. They drilled him with questions about me and my father for hours. They wanted information that he simply didn't have. In all our years together, nothing had ever been about my father's affairs of state. We had always been talking about our future together in our strange new republic.

"Felipe is filing a suit against his daughter. It would abolish the current Republic in place in Louisiana and Arkansas if he wins. Does he have the money to make them the states rich again?"

I knew Eric had to answer this question because we had talked about it. "No, Felipe does not. Sookie does. In the Daemon bank she has a trust fund with enough money to pay the ransom of two Kings."

"Do you have information on how to access these funds?" Ocella asked. I could almost see the dollar signs in his eyes beady eyes.

"No," Eric said and there was more than a little relief in his tone. This had been going on for an hour and he couldn't hide his emotions anymore. They were shifting with every question. The tension was weighing him down.

"Is there anything you can add that you think may help me?" Freyda asked.

Eric smiled and it held all the warmth of a shark out for blood. "There is no help for you now, my Queen."

Freyda lost her temper and she struck Eric across the face. It couldn't have hurt, but it was demeaning. Ocella did nothing. He gave her an exasperated look because he was clearly ready to collect on her promise. They left and Eric didn't look relieved; he looked tired, utterly spent as he wiped the blood from his lip.

_'__Think, don't feel.'_ I chanted to myself. _'Think, don't feel.'_

I repeated the words over to myself, but it felt like I was doing the opposite. I lost my control and, to be honest, it had been hanging by a thread since the wedding. I flew into a tantrum and, if it wasn't for Sai coming down, I don't think I would have stopped until I had destroyed every last bit of glass, metal, and furniture.

I had cut myself. My knuckles were bloody. I was too heavy into my tantrum to cancel the emergency protocol. I hadn't even heard FIN call for help. Sai placed me in a 'Full Nelson' with my feet dangling several inches off the ground. Nim watched from the sliding doors of the lab.

I needed to be restrained. Damn the plan! Damn the message my father needed to send and goddamn my thrones! I was ready to leave this house and race to Oklahoma to kill both Freyda and Ocella. I knew I couldn't and that added to my fury.

"I hate them!" I screamed not fighting his hold. "I hate them so fucking much, Sai, I can barely stand it!"

"You hate your enemies so you are destroying your own property?" he asked. "And your father calls you a genius?"

I struggled then. I kicked and fought. My struggles were such that he was going to have to let me go or break my arms. He dislocated my shoulder and dragged me down to the floor and pinned me there until I stopped fighting. It took the better part of an hour. When he let me go I sprang to my feet too tired to fight but too pissed to care. I just stood there sucking in air and shaking from my impotent rage.

"You will calm yourself, for if I have to return to do it for you, I will put you through a wall," He warned. That was one thing about Sai, he never bluffed. I flashed fang and hissed at him but I didn't say anything else as he came to pop my shoulders back into place.

"Clean this shit up," He ordered.

Fighting with him had had helped me deal with my anger at Eric. This unrelenting fury in my blood, nothing could quell it. I didn't give him lip. I nodded. He slapped me upside the head, albeit softer than normal. Then he left. Nim stayed and began picking things up but I waved him away.

"Thanks, Nim," I said. "It's my mess. I need to clean it up."

I wasn't just referring to the physical destruction of the lab. I was referring to the recent events of my young life.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Eric had survived Ocella when he had been reduced to nothing more than a sex slave. He had shed those scars and became his own person. He could endure another three weeks as I dismantled his wife and once she was out the way, His Maker would be next. The truth was Eric was a thousand-year-old vampire. Until a few years ago, he had been a sheriff of a powerful monarch. I had to stop watching him otherwise I would do something stupid.

I attacked Freyda with all the pent up emotions my husband's loss, absence and pain caused me. I made her the most intimate part of my life as I plagued like a Fury. I watched her while she rested. I watched every move she made while she awake. I knew her facial expressions and their meanings, and I used it all against her. I knew what she felt when she was visited by the scribes with a subpoena from the Counsel.

When Freyda saw a replay of the breaking news from earlier that day, I watched her go from several stages of anger to outright disbelief. Mrs. Hosely held a press conference beside her husband's hospital bed where he lay prone. The question on the Queen's face was obvious, Freyda was wondering how all over again. I watched with an evil smirk because this wasn't nearly the end of her troubles.

That night alone I pulled a variety of government building contracts using my connection with Latessta. These were the bread and butter of her state. I then I focused on her other more profitable business ventures. This was where having more capital than her made all the difference. Freyda needed the businesses, but I wanted them. I reached out to Peter in Hawaii where he was supposedly retired. There wasn't a vampire who owed me as many favors as him, not even my immediate older brother, Zee.

I was able to use Peter's rights to Blood XFM, the alcoholic version of vampire blood and Night Life, the flavored brand. I'd invented both for him a few years back. I traded him the rights in exchange for him stepping down peacefully. He recalled and ceased the supply of both to Oklahoma. This wouldn't cost Freyda any of her sworn subjects, however; her mainstreamers paid taxes as well and they were more than just a little pissed. The lack of that supply caused a sudden shortage in TruBlood.

By the end of that night, I had sent a message to one of the weaker sheriffs in Oklahoma. She held the smallest and least influential area. More importantly, she was disposable. My message informed her that the fall of her Queen was imminent. She wouldn't survive and we all knew that was true. To save herself, all she had to do was leave and take her people with her.

Dawn was yet a half hour away, and I went in to check on Freyda. She was already in her day chamber, but it was barely recognizable from an hour ago. There seemed to be some kind of altar in the corner. It was covered in black candles, bones, and a raised basin that looked as if it was filled with blood. There was a drained human in the corner. Next to that human were scorch marks from what had to have been a vampire now turned to ash. I called Amelia and uploaded the live feed to her phone. While Freyda got naked and painted every inch of her body, from every stand of hair to her toes in the blood from the bowl, Amelia seemed too horrified to speak for a long time.

"Oh shit! Oh My Goddess!" she exclaimed in panic.

"What is she about to do?"

"Get everyone to the house, now!" Then she hung up.

I made the calls, and it took nearly ten minutes to get the word out. Zee was across the world, but I was able to find him. His entourage was big enough that someone could always locate him. Oliver was with him, but was nowhere to be found.

"Call him," Sai suggested to my father.

"I never have before. He wouldn't know what to make of the compulsion."

Sai growled. We ignored him and watched the screen with growing anxiety while Freyda drew symbols in blood all across the floor and the walls.

"Cas," I said. "I need your help."

I heard him pop into the house and finally into my lab. In true Caspian fashion, he was awed by the state of the art equipment even before he took note of the three vampires in the room. "I need you to pick up my brothers and bring them here."

He paused to make sure he heard right, but then nodded. I gave him the print out of Zee's location and he absorbed it. He was ready to go, but Zee hadn't found Ollie yet. When Amelia arrived with her mother, Ollie was still missing and Freyda was lighting candles as she began chanting softly. Even to my ears it sounded as if it was a death curse. My father had to make a call, an impossible decision that would cost him one of his children. He was exuding a terrifying kind of cool. I watched with dread filling every inch of me that wasn't furious.

"Will he survive it?" He asked Amelia calmly.

"No," she replied. "The only reason I can combat this is because there are so many of you. I can use your ties of love and bonds of blood to shield you, but all of you need to be here to make it strong enough."

The phone rang. It was Oliver. My father held his hand out for my phone. I handed it over. I heard Ollie's greeting get cut off by what had to be the mother of edicts.

"Get to Lysander this instant."

I actually heard Ollie gasp and groan as if he was in pain. He sounded like a human who had been punched in the throat and was fighting for breath. Even with his evident pain I could hear him moving at top speed to comply with the compulsion. Cas came back with both my brothers who looked as if they were about to sink their fangs into him. Sai grabbed them both by the scruff of their collars and pulled them into the protective circle Amelia had drawn. Caspian shot me a look that said, 'It wasn't easy being my friend,' but I knew he saw the gratitude on my face before he vanished.

I hated to admit that I was afraid, but as the Witch Queen's chanting grew into a crescendo, I felt the hair on the back of my neck begin to rise. It was even more terrifying to watch on screen. The shadows in her day chamber began to morph until I could distinguish black, ghostly figures that were made up of countless screaming faces.

"What the fuck?" Zee whispered.

My father, always so offended by vulgar language, didn't say a thing. It was my guess that we were all sharing Zee's sentiment. The ghostly figures hovered over the body of the dead human sacrifice, shrouding it in mist. When they pulled away, the body was gone. The empty spaces where their eyes had been were now a swirling shade of red that was filled with blood. I heard my name, my father's, and Nim's in surround sound while Freyda spoke them. I watched her grin when she died for the day right where she was. Suddenly the evil spirits weren't on screen, they were in my lab!

The shadows tried to descend on the targeted people much as they had the human sacrifice, but they hit a wall. Still, I felt as if someone was attempting to suck out all my organs from my body through my nose. My entire body was shaking. I felt as though I was going pass out right before I puked, but thankfully neither happened. If I was experiencing this while under a protection spell, what would it feel like without one?

Next to me, my father wasn't faring any better. He sounded as if he was suppressing coughs. When he couldn't fight it anymore, he coughed up blood. Nim didn't look the least bit pained, though his nose was bleeding. The expression on his face said, _'Hmm…so this is what death curses feel like. Okay then.'_ Not even _'Interesting'_ just an observatory, _'Okay.'_

It couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes, but it felt like forever until the specters began to fade. The physical effects began to fade along with them. Even after they were gone, Amelia left the shield in place for a moment longer before dropping it, and then she passed out. Ollie caught her and was already leaving with her. I wanted to go with to check on her, but my head was so light that standing was beyond me at the moment. He would take care of her.

"I grow weary of this witch. Can you not speed up her final death?" Sai asked.

By his tone, one would think he had been the target for the attack by an evil death curse. Maybe he was feeling left out, knowing Sai that was probably the case.

"This will not change our course," my father ordered. "In the meantime, Lysander "

Zee began bitching right away. "This is why no one ever calls me to play an Undead event. For the life of me, I cannot keep track of who you two are plotting to take over or have killed!"

My father wasn't in the mood. He glared at Zee. Zee threw up his hands. "Yes, yes, I know. I am remanded to the state until the Wicked Witch is dead," He pouted.

Then I just had to say it. "Ding, dong," and we all laughed.

I couldn't spend the day in the lab again. I needed to sleep. Amelia was in my room on my bed. Genie seemed to be wrapping up his checkup. Her mother was there too, and she looked pale as though she'd been put through the ringer. Amelia was drowsy-eyed when I crawled in beside her.

"You okay, Mia?" I asked.

She nodded and gave me a weak smile. I don't know why, but until that moment, I realized the sheer level of my arrogance when it came to my opponents, any opponent, including Sai. I always felt untouchable. Tonight I came within a hair of losing a brother, and it cost my best friend. I had begged another to risk his life and that, too, could have ended horribly for him. I didn't have many friends and much family, but what I did have? I cherished. I had underestimated Freyda, but it would never happen again. There was no way in Hell I would let her cost me another person I loved. To begin with, Freyda didn't want any part in taking over Nevada. The West could get wild. She couldn't rule it, witch or no. That made it clear to me why she had chosen my family members as she had. Killing me was a no brainer. Removing my father would remove the king, the only ruler Nevada had known since the division of the Territories.

The brilliance in Freyda's plan was leaving a clear successor to the throne. Sai was strong, but without Nim or me, Sai's rule would be off with a shaky start. Sai would then have Victor Madden lurking around as well as two younger, weaker brothers to protect. Then again, he would most likely dismiss them for their own safety, leaving him all alone.

I thought I would crash immediately but I couldn't. I had seen an edict at work and I needed to know what it felt like for Eric. I sought out Oliver. He wasn't in his room. I found him with Zee in his bedroom. My normally, reserved, mellow brother looked very much like a stony, pissed off vampire.

"What's the matter, Ollie?" I asked.

"I have no idea," Oliver growled, with his eyes narrowing menacingly.

Okay. I looked to Zee.

"It is the edict," Zee explained. "It has psychological and emotional affects after the fact. If he slept, it would help, but he is too angry to sleep."

"Is it just because it the first time, or his age, or the force?" I asked as calmly as I could manage.

"A little of all three, but not entirely," Zee said vaguely. He knew why I was asking and he was trying to hide the worst of it.

"Ollie, show me," I said. "Please. I need to know what he's going through," even if it was just a little.

Ollie gave a jerky nod, and I braced myself before knocking at his mind. He opened it, and what I felt succeeded in making me sick when a witch's death curse hadn't not long ago. I barely made it to the bathroom. Ollie had left the hotel because Zee had been getting on his nerves. He had driven for a few miles, but left his phone in the car when he found an underground book shop. He was feeling good at his haul when he returned my call, and then it was as if a harpoon had been impaled into his gut. It twisted, pulled, pulled, twisted, and didn't stop twisting and pulling until he reached Zee. After being twisted so many times it didn't seem to matter that he didn't know if he was going or coming.

How was it that I had lived with vampires my entire life and never knew this? It sounded so ridiculous, but while we had all disagreed with my father at one point or another, this was the first I had seen him use his Bond as a Maker to force His will upon them

_'…__Psychological and emotional effects after the fact…'_ buzzed through my head as I washed out my mouth. How much of that could Eric take? It was as though his whole existence was one edict after another now. When I got him back, would he still be my Eric or would his mind be broken? The thought sapped the remaining strength from my fatigued body. I just dropped down on the bed.

"I am sorry," Zee said, holding my hand. "I know how much helplessness bothers you."

"It's almost over," I told him. I fell asleep that morning with his hand in mine.

When I woke Oliver was still in the same armchair, but he was dead asleep at least. The next thing I did was check in with Amelia and her mom. I needed to find out if Freyda could cast another spell similar to that of last night's and soon. I didn't think so, but I knew that just as with everything else, magic took energy and that spell had seemed the equivalent of small nuclear weapon. They confirmed my assumption. I played a hunch that would ensure that this situation would be over sooner than expected.

"Christmas has come early, big brother," I told my brother at dawn.

I was in his bedroom, uninvited, and I saw all the ways he thought of tossing me out of his space.

"Gear up. We're going hunting."

That was all he needed to hear. He was so eager for a fight that he didn't even check to see if my assault had been cleared. Nim watched us go but didn't say a thing. A few hours later, Sai and I were exiting a chopper in Oklahoma. We had key targets whom we had no intention of ending. We would rattle them much like Nim had been sent to do with Freyda. We just had to show them that we didn't fear their Queen and we end them if we wanted to. We may have also kidnapped a few, that we thought to extract information from, but that was neither here nor there.

Closer to dark we targeted the same hotel where Freyda had married my husband. We evacuated it, and then burned that fucker down to ashes! It was near enough to the royal court to send another message. Freyda would know that if I chose to end her I could, but I needed her to understand just how insignificant and unimportant she was in the scheme of things.

It really was as if Christmas had come earlier indeed. Before dawn that same night, Oklahoma's weakest sheriff defected, and she was just outside the borders of my father's state seeking entry with her people. It wasn't much, but it was enough that with the seven prisoners Sai and I had nabbed as well as the fire we set, it was a crippling blow. Then there was the matter of the pending lawsuit she had with the human Alexei attacked on her property. It was turning into a massive class action suit. Nearly eighty percent of the people involved in it were lying to get paid but it didn't matter.

They just needed to drag Freyda through the mud, and keep her busy. The beauty of it was that I wasn't painting all vampires in a bad light. I was making it look as if she alone provided hazardous work conditions for the humans in her employ. She wasn't the only vampire to do such a thing, but she was the first to have been sued, and through a class action suit no less. I was monitoring her finances and I knew she couldn't afford this fight, but she tried.

When I tapped into the live feed of Freyda's chamber close to dawn, I felt satisfaction. I found her in her day chamber, and I didn't think she had left it all night. The gore of the previous night had been washed away, but Freyda looked like she had been starved of blood and kept awake for a week. For a vampire, that was more than bad and I was glad to see her in such a way. She had somehow managed to get clean, but she wasn't dressed for the world to see. She was in a floor-length sleeveless dress. I supposed it allowed her to better pace the confines of her day chamber which was exactly what she was doing.

There was no green in her eyes while she did. Her dark hair seemed to tangle with every turn in the small room. She was muttering under her breath, but I had no hope of discerning what she said. The predator in me sensed something wrong in her. She was off somehow. I rewound the footage and saw that she had, indeed, been at this from the moment she rose; pacing, and talking to herself. She had also been speaking into the basin full of water that sat upon on a raised pedestal in the corner of the room. Every fifteen minutes, she had nicked finger and let her blood drop into the waiting pail below.

"My blood and my life, show me my enemy," She would whisper.

The image didn't flicker even as a drop of her blood disturbed the surface. She was looking at a formidable royal clan. The faces of my father, all four of my brothers, and my own face appeared, and in the background was the room she was in currently. It was so obvious that she was missing it. I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my seat.

Freyda screamed in frustration an instant before she turned the basin upside down. She didn't stop there. Freyda trashed her day chamber and screeched like a mad woman while she did so. She looked at her hands as if expecting them to reveal all the answers.

"It's all slipping through my fingers. I am falling. I am falling…"

I enjoyed every show of her lack of control and her pain for I knew them well. She had made damn sure. I smiled as if I was malevolent, evil carrion over soon-to-be dead meat. That was what I thought I looked like, but I felt more like a disturbed child pulling the wings of a most hated and helpless gnat.

Even if showing mercy had crossed my mind (which it hadn't), it wasn't mine to give. Not only had Freyda stolen from me, she had disrespected my father in the process even after he had offered her an out. I knew it wasn't an easy thing for him to do because she had tried to kill me. Eric had been more right than anyone knew; there was no help for her.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

I told myself not to search for him, but it had been day and that translated to eons to my heart. I needed to look at Eric. Before I gave into that need, I told myself that I wouldn't wait hours for him to talk. Each night I had run over surveillance of every room to find something useful. I had forced myself not to dwell on his handsome face.

Tonight after coming so close, but yet so far, I simply couldn't help it. I would have been lying if I said kidnapping him along with all the other hostages hadn't crossed my mind, it had. It would have been the worst move I could have made. Eric was the only thing Freyda had on me, she could use it, she would win, and then we would all lose. She wouldn't have to ransom him, she would sue me, and it was an option I didn't have because I had married him as a human.

I watched Eric. How bizarre was it that he had divorced me months ago and had been married for under a week, but I loved him even more? I mean, just seeing his face made me want to break down and cry. Goddamn, how weak was I? Too much for words would be my guess. It didn't keep me from hanging on every continuous breath he didn't take.

Eric watched the night, but he looked forlorn and anxiety kept his perfectly chiseled jaw rigid. I touched the screen and rubbed his face as if I could wash it all away. Why did he look like this? Didn't he know what I was doing? Couldn't he hear the rumors catching fire? I could, and so could every other Kingdom. I could practically feel the circle forming around Freyda. Friends I didn't even know she had left her.

Didn't Eric know the days of Freyda of Oklahoma were numbered? Why wouldn't he talk to me? Why did he look so defeated? Was she hurting him? Was Ocella? I knew that wasn't the case. I had accounted for every minute of their day and night. I even watched while Freyda attempted to heal Alexei.

Amelia had watched with me in case it was something insidious. It wasn't. It was bullshit, according to Amelia. The spell was doing nothing more than clouding his impulses like a band aid, but she was by no means curing him. I was glad of that too. I knew that along with everything else I had constructed, this would blow up in her face quite unexpectedly, and I couldn't wait for her to get that little surprise. I hadn't thought much about how I felt about Alexei being healed. Like Eric, he was also a victim, but, unlike Eric, his mind was broken, and the veil was his only freedom. I needed to get Eric away before he was damaged beyond recall too.

It was seven days after his forced marriage, but victory was so close. I could almost feel my husband's arms around me. Tonight I knew I was going to have to take the one thing that Freyda thought could save her before her first trial date, Isaiah, the king of Kentucky. He hadn't garnered many followers in his crusade against me, but with every asset she lost, he was looking at Freyda as more of a meal and less of an ally. He was making promises to her that he couldn't keep. He was trying to make a power play, and that was even better. I didn't have to turn him against her, but I paid him a visit that would ensure that he sever his ties with her.

Nim, Sai and I took a flight into Kentucky. It was almost dark when I waltzed right into the court of Isaiah. When he rose for the night, all his Were guards and any human staff were unconscious where I'd found them. It didn't take long for his guards to find me. When they did, they came out in full force.

They formed two circles around where my brothers and I sat in the ballroom looking as if we owned it. I knew if we were anyone else, we would be dead if we were lucky. Such it was, they paused, unsure how to continue. I was the telepath and a hybrid vampire. Sai was known as the mighty Moor. No one knew anything about Nim, and that was even more terrifying.

"You are banished from setting foot in my state and all others in Amun, under pain of death," Isaiah snarled. "Leave now and I may be swayed to forget this."

I nodded my head as if I would do just that but I didn't move. "Forgive my directness, Your Grace," I said with a nod of my head. "There was no other way."

Tempting as it was, good manners always worked. While I knew that every single vampire in the room would blitz us to save Isaiah, the tension wasn't thrumming though the air as violently anymore. I knew it disappointed Sai though he didn't show it. After a quick deliberation, Isaiah relented. It was my guess that he saw the odds, and even with home field advantage, they were not in his favor.

"Leave us!"

The room emptied of the nearly two dozen guards. I watched the flurry of activity with only mild interest.

"When I faced all the regents of Amun, I paid handsomely for their permission to free Louisiana, Arkansas, and their silence. Now a regent from that same territory is siding with my enemy. It is disheartening because I have kept my word."

"I have kept mine!" he snapped.

Calling any King a liar in his own castle was an invite for violence. I didn't say anything. I just kept staring at him. The longer I stared, the more unnerved he became.

"Someone has been telling you lies," He said flatly. "I have nothing to do with your war against the Queen of Oklahoma."

I smiled. "Good."

With a respectful nod my brothers and I left.

I wasn't wrong. I played the footage back when I got home and I saw Freyda try to implore Isaiah, but he feared me more than he wanted to use her; smart of him. My plans had come to fruition. Freyda was without an ally, money, or power, but she would have to continue her fight with my father even without those things.

That was why my father insisted on scheduling his suit against me on the same day as the preliminary hearing on Freyda's case. We had to go rub it in. It wasn't as though there would be many witnesses her humiliation, but pure relish was enough.

It was just as I wanted, Freyda's name was a curse and no one wanted to get close to it. I wore my best dress, but as much as I wanted to convince myself that it was to upstage a Queen, I knew it was to try to impress Eric. Nothing had cured me of that. I still lived for his smile, weak and pathetic, but it was true.

I was walking beside my father as he made way to the elevators. Sure enough, I ran into Freyda. I had known that she would leave Eric behind, but to see her without him hurt. I wanted to see his face in person. I had dressed for the occasion knowing he wouldn't be there, but hoping that he would. He wasn't. It was a good thing, I convinced myself.

"Your Majesty," I greeted with a respectful nod and curtsey. "Pleased to see you again."

Freyda lost her cool and launched at me, but I didn't even let the air she disturbed force me to bat an eyelash. I fought Sai on a regular basis. I didn't fear him and didn't fear this whore Queen. I was begging that she hit me. I would end this now, but she didn't. One of her guards grabbed her and another got between us. I smiled while I baited her further. I wanted to cost her what little respect she had left in the presence of those who remained loyal to her.

"I know times are difficult, what with the walls closing in all around you. It must be impossible when you go to ground wondering if this is day that I come to claim your head." I said. "Please allow me to reassure you, I simply refuse to put you out of your misery. It amuses my father and I so very much."

She shrieked and launched herself at me again, but she was being hauled away. My laughter followed her.

With the information that I had been able to garner, Freyda was sure that there was no one she could trust, especially not Eric. She couldn't control him without Ocella, and bringing Ocella anywhere meant Alexei. She couldn't afford it. Another slip or scandal would ruin her, and I made sure that was awaiting her when she got home.

I leaked a portion of the footage of Alexei attacking Jermaine Hosely. I bounced the footage off every IP address in the world until Freyda thought it came from her house. Most importantly, whatever defense she had went out the window. Humans protested and boycotted, and then the queen really was alone, but still not as alone as I wanted her.

I knew that the vampires who were with Freyda were the ones that were willing to meet their end at her side, all except two; Bishop and Eric. They were there against their will at her behest. I couldn't extract Eric safely until Ocella was gone, and all the time he had been in Oklahoma, the Roman was yet to rest at the house or anywhere near it. If I could just find him, I could end him while he rested for the day and when Eric rose, he would be free and he would free himself of Freyda.

I tuned in as Freyda had a full blown meltdown in the middle of her house. Tears were running down her face as she unleashed her anger and fear on the few subjects that she had left.

"Traitors!" she screamed. She cut down two. "Interlopers, the lot of you!"

Something I never expected happened. Eric left his seat where he had been watching impassively. He wrapped and arm around her shoulders from behind and pulled her to him. I knew what it was like to feel as though you had nothing. That was how I was so able to inflict that pain on the Queen, but Eric was… Comforting her?

Jealousy was the one thing I had never felt for Freyda, but at that moment, I must have turned every possible shade of green as well as some not seen on Earth. Eric was willingly touching her. Was he sympathizing with her? He couldn't be, but what he was doing contrasted that so very much.

"Leave us," Eric ordered, and it showed the state of things. Guards heeded the Queen's consort without as much as a glance at the Queen herself. Eric led her back to the rooms, back to his room.

"You must calm yourself," Eric told Freyda.

"This is my end, does it not please you?" She spat.

He shook his head. "No," He told her and I saw the sincerity of his words. "It does not, for your end is my own. If you do not survive Sookie's wrath, neither will I."

What? He couldn't really believe that. Sure I had unleashed all manner of Hell of Freyda, but Eric must have known that he was safe. He didn't really believe that I would hurt him, did he? He did. He wiped Freyda's tears with his thumb and brought the digit to her lips. She sucked it, and before her blood was gone from his finger, his lips followed pressing against hers.

It was like I had escaped the worse nightmare of my life, but then as my day went on I realized my nightmare had been nothing. I had taken a wrong turn into Hell. That was what this was! I had kept Freyda so torn and distracted that she never forced herself on Eric. It turned out she didn't have to force him! He offered! Eric kissed her lips, and wiped away her tears, and of course she let him!

I wanted to die. No, this wasn't a nightmare, it was as if I was in a special part of Hell for all the sins I hadn't known I had committed. Ocella wasn't around, and she didn't have the power to control him with her subjects gone or going. Yes, this was a circle of Hell.

I thought I would cry or have another fit. Maybe Sai would beat some sense into me, but none of that happened. It seemed I was finally all cried out, and I was as broken emotionally and desolately as Freyda was financially and politically. I didn't watch. I needed to get to sleep. I didn't think I would but when my head hit the pillow, I was dead to the pains of this world.

Close to dawn, I reported upstairs to where Sai, Nim, and Amelia were waiting. This was the final blow. Tonight we would take what Freyda had left outside of her unhappy, mainstreaming citizens. We would capture or kill the few vampires Freyda had left. The only ones we would leave alone were the three main targets, Freyda, Ocella, and Eric.

Victor was in Texas waiting to strike come dark. His forces would wash away what was left of Freyda's regime. He would end Ocella, capture Eric, and bring him back to me unharmed. I didn't want to trust him with this. It was my revenge. It was my pain, and that was exactly why I had to let the shark attack. Nobody did subjugation like Victor Madden.

"We have accounted for all essential personnel?" My father asked.

I nodded, but said nothing. The image of Eric comforting and kissing a woman who had been an instrument to our divorce was burned into my brain. For the first time, my heart was silent because it finally been dealt a blow that was too much.

"Sai has lead," My father said.

I didn't say anything to that either though I knew that having Sai being in charge of anything I was a part of was the worst. I just wanted this over with. We were heading out when my father waved his hand in my general direction. It was as good as shouting my name.

"Are you well, Shy?" he asked.

"No," I admitted, not wanting to lie to him. "I will be, very soon."

He searched my face, but I hid nothing. Finally he released my hand and I left with the others. I was expecting to ride with Amelia but I got Sai instead. It told me that whatever else he thought as he let me leave his side, my father wasn't sure of me. That made two of us.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The second we exited the highway toward the first target on our hit list, I knew something was wrong. I glanced over at Sai and he was already showing a slight hint of fang. His eyes narrowed while he inhaled a deep breath, and his face pulled into a feral grimace.

"Daemon," He growled.

I had already slammed the car into park and before Sai could stop me, I was out of the car. Truth? I was spoiling for a fight, and the bloodier, the better. These were Britlingens. I knew it by the speed at which the throwing star was flung at my neck. If not for my own exceptional speed I would have lost my head. The first one came out of nowhere, three more quickly followed. I dodged them sliding across the hood of the car to where Sai was crouched, ducking poisoned darts. He had been clever enough to rip off the passenger side door to use as a shield. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"They are very good," He said.

I shook my head, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't spoiling for a fight too. It was in the spirit of sibling rivalry that I gave him shit anyway. "Something is very wrong with you," I commented.

There was a reason why they were deemed the most formidable warriors of their species. That reputation didn't carry with just daemons but with vampires too. It wasn't unheard of for the Undead to hire them. They were also very expensive, so how could Freyda have afforded them? She was broke. I couldn't think on it now. The assault continued, but we just let them go. All the while we gathered information.

There were three of them. Two were active and one was laying low, waiting. She was most likely the strongest of the trio. They would wound us and she would come in to finish the kill, or so I thought. It would be easy because, in the family, Sai and I were the strongest, and when Amelia and Nim caught up the scales would then tip. Suddenly the onslaught stopped.

"Daywalker," someone called. "We have been hired to deliver a message, not to kill."

Interesting way to show peaceful intent, I thought dryly. I could hear the van Amelia and Nim followed in approaching. It was safe to get to my feet, so that's what Sai and I did. We saw the speaker. She was muscled like all Britlingen fighters were rumored to be, but even more so. I'd never seen one before, but I knew she was considered powerful; her muscles had muscles. Her eyes were on Sai. It could have been my imagination but I thought the appraisal wasn't just only calculating, but pleased.

Sai noticed too. He brushed his shoulder needlessly, though he stood taller. "You will not live long enough to appreciate my true grandeur."

"Ego much?" I muttered under my breath.

His only response was a smile that would still even the most powerful vampire. Our stalling time and playing defense was over. Nim was here. Even though the van was moving he somehow glided out of it without missing a step. That was the signal; we had stalled long enough to get a read to properly engage and dismantle our enemy.

The fight might have lasted longer if Sai hadn't been his usual greedy self. It was assumed that he would take on the bigger of the daemons. On his way to her he rammed his massive shoulder into my opponent, sending her flying. It cost him three Kenai knives to the chest, but he didn't slow. I saw two of the blades fall out while he ran to his opponent.

Though Sai had tossed her in the air, I could see that she was already finding her center. Nim was there. I kicked at him with both legs and he used the force of his body to propel me where he knew I needed to be, tackling my daemon mid-air. I was sure to make her landing as painful as possible.

On our way the ground, I nicked every viable tendon from her Achilles on her ankle to her subscapular in the shoulder. I did it so quickly that by the time she was reaching for her dagger her fingers were useless. Simply because she had been the one who was throwing Kenai's and ninja stars, I stabbed her through the chest. It wasn't fatal. I just left her pegged to the ground.

I rolled off of her and toward Nim, but with Amelia directly at his back his fight had ended just as quickly. The muscle-bound Britlingen may have been outnumbered but she still fought. We had her down within a minute. She had managed to wound all of us, not seriously, but still. That was saying something.

Sai was perched on her back with his hand around her neck. I thought he was going to pull her head off because the dagger lodged in his shoulder was hers. "Pretty little daemon assassin," he said. "Do speak quickly. I am growing restless."

Gross, eww, and gag! Was Sai flirting? Amelia looked at me and I looked at Nim. He was watching the scene as if recording something for the ages. It meant that even he had no idea what was up with our brother.

"The vampire guards of the Queen in this state pooled their funds. They hired a witch to form a contract with us. They knew you would come to end them or, worse, make them disappear as you did the others."

"So they betrayed their Queen?" He asked running a dagger along her neck line. It was as if he was lovingly etching the line where his blade would fall.

"She is a witch, but she has gone mad they say. She has turned on them, so they are choosing to break their ties with her. They will swear allegiance to the new royal in exchange for safety."

How sad was it that the remaining, relevant vampires had more money than their Queen? Pretty sad I would say, but it wasn't sad enough. Seeing she somehow made my husband want to make love to her, I couldn't find it in myself to feel anything but satisfaction. We had come here to clean house but it wasn't necessary. They had all known what was coming. They had chosen to save themselves instead of going down with the Regime.

I would call them traitors, but, in truth, they weren't. No one would blame them for their decision. This, what the vampires of Oklahoma were experiencing, was a unique front row seat to the fall of their Queen. It had been publically unsanctioned by the Regents in the Territory, yet there was nothing anyone could do but watch Freyda burn.

I believed the Britlingen, but I couldn't speak, for my father had the foresight to give Sai lead. He sunk his dagger into the spine of the daemon under him at an almost sensual pace. She gasped in pain and went as limp as the others. I guess he believed her; otherwise he would have ripped off her head instead. Of all the disturbing things to do, he carved his phone number into the back of her vest.

"Something is really very seriously wrong with you," I reiterated.

Sai grinned. Nim nodded. Amelia shook her head. "Sunlight's burning," She said. "Let's go."

With one last look at the Britlingen he had incapacitated Sai entered the van, and we all followed. I drove and, with ease, we captured the remaining vampires who were essential to the remainder of Freyda's reign. Going off the word of the daemon, we didn't need to end them but, until the takeover was complete, they needed to go. Anyone left here when Victor swept through was as good as forever gone.

Bishop, the mindless minion, was the last stop. I had tagged him as a priority target. Since she had him bespelled, Freyda wouldn't keep anything from him. I had witnessed as much since I had been watching her, but I needed Bishop for when I took over. He would have details dating as far back as I needed. Next to Eric, he was the most valuable entity to extract. Removing his spell and any wards was why Amelia had come, otherwise she would be safe at home and formidable as she was, that was where I wanted her.

There were no wards for Amelia to breach. I was teasing Sai about having a crush on the Britlingen as we carelessly barged into Bishop's home. In the entry way was Eric. My feet suddenly forgot how to move and my lungs forgot what to do with air. I hadn't seen him in the light of day for so long. After all, he had banished himself to the dark before we divorced.

The sight was something to behold. It stole my breath and made my knees weak. In the light of day, his hair looked like spun gold. There was an actual tingle in my hands as my fingers itched to thread through it. I exhaled the breath I was holding and when I inhaled, his scent lay into me. I shivered from the sheer thrill of it.

Eric was just so cool seated there in a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. So many times I had told myself that I wouldn't see him again until I had him back in Vegas and his Maker was as finally dead as his wife. That had been my plan but here he was. It was like a glimpse into Heaven after a lifetime spent in Hell. I had so many reasons to hate him. My anger, my pain, and my humiliation not too long passed should have been enough to keep me from him, but it wasn't.

"Hi," I greeted. I was trying for casual but even to my own ears, I knew I failed.

Tears stung my eyes but I swallowed them back. The unfeeling part of me that I thought would be the norm as he had made love to another woman didn't mean a thing. Seeing his face… God help me seeing his life! It broke me. He was the only man I had ever known. His smile defined my happiness. His touch defined my pleasure.

There was so much I wanted to say, mostly I wanted to touch him and I did. I ran at him. I felt Sai move to stop me, but I was beyond saving. Eric lifted me off my feet and my legs wrapped around his waist expertly. Eric clutched me to him to the point of pain. His cheek rested on my head and, quickly after, his face was buried in my neck and he was…breathing rapidly much like a human after nearly suffocating. It was as if he was trying to drown in my aroma. .

"I know you, and I love you, even if you live forever, no one will ever know you better or love you more than I," He murmured into the crook of my neck. I didn't even think he was talking to me. It was as though he was reassuring himself of a deep-rooted truth.

He had been watching me pick Freyda apart and somehow knew this was going to my last stop. I didn't know what to say to that and I didn't even want to try. I was looking at Eric and he was looking right back at me with unfathomable, emotional eyes. They were asking me, almost pleading, but I didn't know for what and I knew he couldn't say, not with so many edicts forcing him into silence.

"How are you here?" I asked.

He had one dose of his serum left before we divorced. I just assumed he had been forced to give that up too. I hadn't seen any evidence of it, so I had no idea. I never even saw him take it. Presumably he had done so last night after… I didn't even want to think about it. It might have made me a weak woman, but I would forgive him anything and I already had.

"Thalia," He said. "I gave her my last dose to hold. She was watching the situation, and when she thought I needed it most, she would deliver it to me."

Clever Viking, I nodded with a slight smile on my lips but had nothing else to add. I just stared at him for a long while and he didn't say anything either. His eyes seemed to drink my features in eagerly as if he would never see me again. Little did he know that this was the end. By nightfall when Freyda finally lost her head and Ocella was gone we would be together again. While that was true, I still couldn't help touching him.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

His mouth opened. It sounded as if he was choking on his words, and then he closed his mouth again. The most anguished, heartrending expression twisted upon his handsome face. "No, but I am unable to tell you all the ways."

"Shy'ra," Sai called and I knew that tone. I pulled myself from Eric's arms and placed my back to his chest to shield him.

"I know," I replied. I jumped right into begging him for mercy; something I hadn't ever done in my entire life. "Let me stay here with him."

"Fuck, no!" he replied, and I knew he was about to make me comply. He had lead. "I am to return to your father and tell him I left you behind enemy lines? No! Even if I have to break every bone in your body you will come with me."

Behind me, Eric tensed and I felt his powers flare. Sai responded by flashing fang and he leaned into a slight crouch. I grabbed ahold of Eric's hands and lacing them with mine, I placed them around my waist and he calmed, though his frame felt like a slab of marble behind me. It was more than I could say for my brother. Sai wanted a rematch badly. I knew he was beyond hearing me. After having seen him and Eric go at it before, I never wanted to witness anything like it ever again.

"Nim, if you wait for me at the extraction site, I'll meet you and we'll head to Little Rock together."

Nim stared at me for along moment, and then at Eric. Finally, he looked at Sai, and he nodded. That was it. No one questioned Nim, not even my father. Sai snarled, but let it go. I kept Eric behind me while they took Bishop away. I heard our van start. I also heard the car that belonged to Bishop pull out.

There was so much that I wanted to say to Eric but, once we were alone, I only wanted one thing. He wanted it too. He kissed me with all the rage of a man on fire. After so long without his touch, I quickly got caught up in the flames and let them devour me. I kissed him back and delighted in his taste. This encounter brought me back to our first time together.

Years ago when I had no memory of who I was; still something in me recognized him. True, he was my mate, but it seemed to go deeper than that. I now knew that that earlier title wasn't the end all, be all. Inside my little farmhouse in the middle of the night, I had looked into Eric's eyes and what I saw was the most beautiful sight. It was beyond physical. He wanted me and I wanted him, but somehow we were both fighting the pure, sexual pull. That was absent this encounter. We had years of history telling us how good we were together, how explosive was our passion, and how far and deeply our love went. .

I knew I had been without my husband; I could count the days right down to the minute, but when I felt Eric line up his thick length to enter me, I knew that I truly had no idea. He was the only man with whom I had ever been intimate. When Eric pushed into me, I screamed and dug my nails into his back. It had been so long. It wasn't just the length of time. It was the lack of our intimacy. I had been so lonely, so hurt, and so angry. I needed him to make it all go away and he did.

No one knew how to make me cum and scream like Eric. True to form, he made me cum over and over again. Even after I was desperate for a break, he didn't let up. He kept one of my legs on each side of his shoulders and damned near bent me in half! When I begged a reprieve, he turned me on my stomach and fucked me as if this was his last night on earth. I accepted him into my body with an eagerness bordering on desperation. It wasn't enough. I just wanted more.

"Please…baby, please—fuck!" I cried. "Oh God! Eric…"

"Tell me you love me. I need to hear you say it!"

I wanted to hold out, but I couldn't. It was impossible when he rolled his hips as he buried himself deeply inside me, making me come undone all over again. My body clenched as another mind-numbing orgasm seized me. The force of it pulled his climax forth. In that idyllic moment, I was half out of my mind and beyond my body; I would deny him nothing, especially not the truth.

"I love you," I whispered. I said it over and over again. When the sex high faded, the tears came. He held me like he had always done, but all I could see was him doing the same with Freyda just the night before. Weak as I was, it still wasn't enough to make me pull away.

"I have been watching since the wedding," I said when my tears had dried. There was no harm in telling him this. Nothing could change the course now. "What about last night?" he asked pulling me away from him. "Did you see?" His eyes were blazing with intensity. Not the reaction I was expecting... It pissed me off.

"Yes!" I spat. "I saw you kiss her!"

I slapped his hands away. I lost my temper and just kept on slapping him. He grabbed me and before I knew it, I was pinned on the bed with him straddling my hips. He had both my hand pinned above my head.

"How could you?" I shouted. "How could you do this to me?"

I would have kept right on ranting, yelling, and asking why, but he pressed his forehead to mine, bringing us chest to chest; eye to eye.

"Every single thing I have done, I did for…"

His words cut off abruptly. His brow knitted in pain and shiver ran over him. I knew he couldn't say anymore. I saw it in his eyes. I could hear it in the words he had spoken aloud when he hadn't even been sure I was listening. He thought he was protecting me, but he didn't need to, at least while keeping his Maker here. We had a hard road ahead of us. I didn't want to deal with these issues now.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"I'm sorry I hit you," I said.

He gave me that smile, the one that had stolen my heart, and kissed me. "You said you saw everything," He prompted.

I nodded.

"I do not believe that you did," He replied. "Otherwise you—"

Again, pain shot across his face, distorting his handsome features. I caressed his face to soothe him, wishing I could just race into Freyda's court and end Ocella, but I couldn't. Amelia had warned that the grounds were now so heavily warded that it would take a full coven to breach them. That was why we were leaving it all to Victor and his people. They would suffer casualties, but would have her so outnumbered that she would be buried in bodies.

Eric was looking at me with the same bright and intense expression of earlier. He was trying to tell me something. I spoke the words aloud and let his facial expressions guide me.

"It's true; I didn't watch after you kissed her," I began. "I just assumed that you had sex with her, but you didn't?"

He shook his head. I smiled at the sheer joy of it. He was looking at me expectantly, prompting me.

"Something else happened?" I guessed.

He nodded. He seemed almost desperate for me to understand. I wanted to, but he couldn't tell me and, at the moment I didn't have access to FIN. My phone was with Sai. I searched Bishop's house for a computer but didn't find one. Honestly, even if I had found one, it would have been a long shot to gain access to my personal network.

I told Eric that and he tried in earnest to speak but the pain of it brought him crumbling to his knees. He didn't look wounded, he looked absolutely griefstricken. Bloody tears escaped his eyes. In all that he had been forced to endure, I had rarely seen him cry and I couldn't stand it now, not when I was so close to freeing him.

"A few more hours, sweetheart," I told him. "Then you can tell me anything. I promise."

At the same time I promised myself that I would never again let him out of my sight, at least for another ten years. I wiped his tears and sucked the liquid into my mouth. He kissed me then as though his very existence depended on it, as if the whole damn world depended on the thoroughness with which he kissed me. Heaven help me! After all these years and all that had happened, he still tasted like sin!

His tongue felt so good tangling with mine. Once more I found myself helpless against the onslaught. We made love again but slowly, taking our time. Our kiss was smoldering through me as he began to invade me at an enchantingly leisurely pace. It didn't matter that this wasn't our home in Shreveport. It didn't matter that we were behind enemy lines. He was Mine and I was His, forever. This time when Eric made me cum for him, I bit him, remembering just how much he loved it. He let me take as much as I wanted or needed without taking from me. He was still inside me when I drifted off from exhaustion.

I woke knowing I would be late to the extraction point. I woke Eric and he didn't seem to be in a rush. He didn't even seem to want to wash my scent and my love from his skin.

"I need to meet my brother," I explained. "I love you."

"I love you," He replied. His face, his tone, and his entire demeanor were mournful.

"I'll see you tonight. I promise," I said. I kissed him one more time and raced out the door before reason gave way to passion.

I was late to the extraction point. Nim didn't look the least bit impatient. He was seated in the car looking at the falling sun.

"Sorry," I said getting behind the wheel.

He nodded and I put the car into gear. We didn't have a long way to go and I wasn't all that late. We simply needed to get out of here sundown. That was no problem. I could drive like a bat out of hell. With every mile that passed, my mind was on Eric. What had he been trying to tell me? I knew that it wasn't important. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that I would see him tonight like I promised. He wouldn't thank me for ending his Maker, but I was beyond caring. I just needed him back with me.

It was as if thinking of him had somehow propelled him to my current location! I saw him, dead ahead. I'd only ever seen that look on his face once before, and on that day, Eric had ended my eldest brother. I didn't get a chance to see anything else. Control of the sports car left my capable hands. The car lifted off the ground and several feet into the air.

Nim could have could have gotten out of the car before it came crashing down under the merciless thrall of gravity but he didn't. He reached for my door and knocked it off its hinges. I knew he was going to try to fly us both down to the ground, but then he would be in danger too, well, more so than me. He crawled over me and was hanging at the opening of the door. Instead of giving him my hand, I shoved him as hard as I could, but he wasn't willing to abandon me. He tried to pull me with him, but the force was careening the car face first into the ground below was too strong.

When it came to my brothers there was never a choice. It was instinct. I would die, but I knew that Ocella was behind this so my death would be slow. I just need to endure whatever was done to me until my father arrived. I couldn't say the same for my brother, plus Nim had Blood Bonds with the rest of the family. He could call for help. It might save us both. That thought was on my mind while I came within inches of the asphalt.

I spun at the last second, bracing my feet on the roof of the car and keeping hold on the passenger assist handles on the driver's side. I heard Nim call out for me, but it was the last thing I heard as the deafening sound of metal protested while it was skipped across pavement. I saw the sparks fly. The car bounced on all sides as it landed but it had landed on its top, and then it rolled a few more times than was normal for the speed and trajectory.

My head had been knocked around, but my seatbelt made sure I stayed conscious and in my seat. Aside from my arm I hadn't suffered any real damage. No sooner did I have that thought did I then hear the sounds of fighting as the car began to compress all about me. I heard snarls and growls of what had to be two vampires fighting full throttle.

A part of me wanted to stay in that car so I wouldn't have to fight Eric. How could I do this?

I could taste his love on my tongue… I could smell him on my skin; feel the lingering twinges of his claiming… I couldn't fight him! Yet, I had to.

I knew what it would mean if he took my life… I also knew it would leave my brother fighting two powerful vampires alone. There was only thing I wouldn't do for Eric and this was it. I flipped, and kicked out what was left of the windshield.

I didn't spare Eric a glance, but I heard grinding as the car was reduced to nothing more than a crushed beer can. I shot to the place where Ocella hung over Nim with a long, wicked-looking dagger. His worry over me had cost him, made me vulnerable, and he got injured. Being fastest had never meant so much. Nim was already bleeding from a wound at his side. I couldn't give into the satisfaction of punching Ocella. I just needed to get him away from my brother.

I perched on the back of the Roman and tried to snap his neck when I couldn't I used my momentum to toss him as far as my legs could kick. He was midway in the air when he activated his ability to fly. The instant he did, he was flying right back at me. Though he was closer, it took Eric a second longer to abandon crushing the car. I knew it had taken an edict. I saw him fight it, but it took hold quickly. Those Maker commands had been a part of his day to day for quite some time now.

Eric seemed to teleport in front of me. He didn't have that ability, but his speed was, in a word, shocking! I didn't blink, but then suddenly he was right there in my face! He threw a punch and I dodged, but in the same movement his right hook was connecting with my face. It was with so much force that it sent me off my feet! I could have broken my fall, but I slipped because I was dragging Nim with me. Ocella was fast approaching. How many times had we sparred during our life together? I had won almost every time, and when I lost it had been close. He had been letting me win because he knew speed was my forte. . Not that it would have mattered then; we'd done nothing more than play fight as or role play, 'capture and pillage the telepath.' It had been a prelude to sex. This was a death match. Nim could fight, but any time I could get as he healed would increase his odds of survival. I left him with the dagger I had taken from Ocella, and then I took the two at his back.

I hurled one at the man I loved with everything in me. At the same time I hurled the other at His Maker. He couldn't deflect both. I would attack whoever didn't get stabbed. I couldn't do much damage; I just needed to keep Nim beyond Eric's telekinetic range and speed as well as Ocella's grasp. As much as he knew the limitations of my telepathy and mental attacks, I knew the holes in his telekinesis. Both our abilities were mental, took energy, and were limited by range. Mine was doubly limited by focus if vampires were the targets.

My plan didn't work. I thought Eric would be the wounded one and that I could attack and possibly end Ocella, but that didn't happen, at least not like I planned. Ocella dogged the dagger, Eric didn't move. The blade I'd thrown was embedded in his gut. I knew it had been on purpose. He couldn't defy the edicts but he was finding a loophole and not defending himself was one. Seeing him bleed like that, knowing it was by my hand was hard but I didn't let myself hesitated. I took the opportunity to tackle Ocella. If I could just end him, Eric would be free. I would end his suffering and this fight! I broke his arm then he flung me away.

I stood looking at Eric. His handsome face was so twisted, so tormented. There was nothing familiar to see. His pain, so visible, so inescapable brought me to a place where not even all my pain and heartbreak had. I begged him. This was far worse than Hell. It had all been planned, and that was why Victor and his people were going to sweep through tonight. I had known that Ocella wasn't above making Eric fight me, but I had never imagined it would be like this even as it was happening…

"Fight it," I said, placing myself in front of Nim. "Please."

His eyes registered my presence, but he was beyond seeing. He was going to attack Nim with his telekinesis and I couldn't allow that. I attacked Ocella physically. Even with his special ability he couldn't stop me and Ocella wasn't fast enough, not even close. I was able to tackle The Roman, punch him in his face, and hurl him at Eric. While each second passed in this fight, Ocella had openings to give Eric edicts.

"Kill her, Eric!" Ocella yelled. "Do it! Now!"

I didn't have to wonder if those were edicts. I saw as they took root. The pain that had been easily visible on Eric's face vanished. I saw nothing of the Viking I knew. He was nothing but a tool. I could scream and I could beg. He wouldn't hear. I had to fight because if he killed me as His Maker wanted, he would forever hate himself. I leaned into a crouch and attacked before he had a chance to obey the commands.

Killing me would only be possible if he could catch me. Before he let loose his burst of power, I was already perched on Eric's back tossing him as far away as I could. That left His Maker, and I tackled him before he got halfway to Nim. Unlike the last time we fought, he was going for the kill and so was I. He was fighting on instinct much like I had that day in our house in Shreveport. His fangs were out, and he was a powerful, snarling, clawing mass of fury.

Meanwhile, I was trained in the art of systematically dismantling my opponent. I employed every lesson; I punched, tried to break his neck, but he fought me tooth and nail. It was worse because I couldn't linger on him. I had only half a second before Eric was back in range. I was getting slower as I played this dangerous game. That tactic worked twice more as I fought two master vampires, and I knew it was only because the more powerful of the two was unwilling.

As I tried to toss Ocella at Eric, I got caught. I felt the stillness as his telekinesis took hold of my body. Eric was going to kill me but he was choosing the slowest method, suffocating me. It felt like his powers was slowly squeezing my neck, chocking me. It was all the consideration I needed because I had done what I set out to at the beginning of this one sided fight.

Nim was healed and he rammed into Eric with enough force to send him sailing off his feet and landing in a heap some 50 yards away.

The cutting off my oxygen eased. I gasped and sucked in air. I heard his silent footfalls while Nim attacked Ocella. I heard the crack of bone, the snarls and screams of aggression, but none of them belonged to Nim. He fought as he lived, silently. Eric tried to intervene in that fight, but he was running on fumes mentally. He couldn't use his powers anymore. It was hand to hand combat and I was out classed. He was the strongest opponent I'd ever faced. Then again, I would expect nothing less from The Viking.

Still I did everything I could to keep Eric busy. Nim didn't need much time to get rid of Ocella. It could have been my imagination, but as I diverted Eric's fire, he fought me with more vigor than he had at the beginning of the fight. Something in his eyes changed though. It wasn't pain filled or ferocious. He looked like he had earlier today, desperate. It distracted me and I caught a knee to the ribs that broke several of them.

Eric didn't finish the kill despite the edict. He turned and tried to fly to intervene on Nim dismantling Ocella. Halfway to the scene of what was to be Ocella's Final Death, it all became so frighteningly clear.

"Neiman! Stop!" I called. "Don't!"

It was too late. My brother was in the middle of a kill. Nothing could stop him, not even me. It was like a prolonged sickening moment in Hell. I saw Ocella's head begin to detach, and then I saw Eric stop midflight and he faced me… He retrieved a stake seemingly from nowhere. I saw the why but it was too late to save My Eric… He faced me… And he smiled. He was wearing my smile… Then he plunged the stake into his heart as Nim ripped Ocella's head free of his body.

I watched My Love, My Husband, My Everything disintegrate to nothing but a puddle of blood and ash. My body, my-ever treacherous body screamed, and once I started, I didn't stop. I was a princess, I was on both my knees in the dirt, crying and screaming with fists full of my hair. I'd never doubted that I would get him back, not for a second. My ego and my arrogance made this so much worse. He was now and forever beyond my reach… All I could do was scream his name over and over… It still didn't bring him back to me.

Sai was crushing me to him, as trying to suffocated my pain. He was trying to do what he did best. He was trying to keep things together, or, in this instance to keep me together, but there was nothing left. There was no Cluviel Dor. There was no chance of a turning. Eric was forever gone.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

I knew what my family was expecting, and a part of me was expecting it too, but it did not come. Soon that numbness that had eaten away at me would descend again and this time it would consume not just my mind and my body, but my soul too, except that didn't happen.

It was the strangest thing. Sai put me in the car, I fell asleep and when I woke up, there was no more pain. During that first month I thought it was shock. My mind could function so easily. When my father's claim over Louisiana and Arkansas was approved, he named me Queen. I saw to that task with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine.

Still, I thought I should be feeling something, grief at the very least. I didn't. I went through my tasks easily.

It was as if I was beyond the pains of this world. Mentally, I was able to view the series of events so I could determine what I should be feeling. In this case, I knew it should be cripples emotionally, if not catatonic again. I thought I felt it, but I couldn't be sure; it was watered down somehow just like everything else since Eric had smiled at me as he plunged a stake into his heart.

I actually felt a stabbing in my chest as though I'd been staked too. Except my body hadn't died, it felt like something irreparable in me shriveled up and died. Now I didn't have to fight the impulse to break down and sob hysterically, nor did I have to suppress my inner predator. The urges were gone. I just was. I merely existed.

"All Hail The Queen!" The noise was enough to pull me from my thoughts. "Long May She Reign!"

I was in Oklahoma City. All the vampires whom I had turned against Freyda as well as those that I hadn't were taking a knee bowing to me. All had sworn their fealty. My father was seated on my right, Victor to my left. Sai and Nim were directly at my back in a show of the fiercest loyalty. I took the thrones of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma becoming what I was born and destined to be, the most powerful Queen in the World, New or Old.

How useless it had been to run from Destiny and fight Fate. I was right where my father had wanted me; I was the living Queen of the Undead. I should feel something, anything, good or bad, but nothing got through as it should. I wasn't numb or in pain. I was struggling to feel. It was a hollow, pitted-out feeling that, at times, made me certain there was a hole in my chest. Sometimes I massaged it for so long and so hard that I bruised yet it never waned. That was what I felt. I knew that this was all there would be for me even if I lived forever.

There had never been a more fitting punishment for it was no more than I deserved.

"Majesty, you have a visitor."

I looked up and the face of the vampire was meaningless as was their name. "Send them in."

I felt as if I was a robot trying hard to be human. I had been Queen for only a month but I was already unfeeling about my role. Maybe this visitor, whoever they were, would pose a challenge as they tried to take my life. My hope was they would succeed. I watched the door with something akin to hope. It faded into nothing as Pamela Ravenscroft entered my Receiving Room. I didn't feel the sting of disappointment either.

My brain told me she looked the same since the last time I saw her, the day she was cosigning on my divorce. Strongly as I knew I should feel about that, I got nothing. I was just looking at a face that was a part of my past. She bowed respectfully and I nodded.

"Somehow this suits you more than the telepathic barmaid," she said as hello. "I suppose that answered the question of why I always disliked you. You never fit."

I didn't say anything. How could I? I didn't feel anything at her words. The worse part? I thought I should.

"I am here to deliver the last confessions of My Maker, The Viking."

Excitement didn't come. All I could manage was another slight nod of my head. It was all she was waiting for as I could read her eagerness to be through with this task. I had none of my own.

"Upon his end, I have sworn to relay this to the woman he considered His Wife in his undead heart, and in all the ways that mattered to him."

I nodded my head, and then heard a story in where I had an integral and large part. So easily I could recall the series of events, but, in hindsight? It all felt like nothing because save the dull, hollowing ache, nothing was all I felt. Pam also sounded like a prerecorded message, and I wondered if it was the only way she was able to recite this tale, despite her emotions at losing her Maker.

Pam glanced to the side where my father was seated. Presumably she thought I would want to do this alone, that it was too painful. I didn't have a preference in anything anymore.

"Eric plotted to end Ocella from the moment of his unexpected arrival. Thus, he began to subtly lay the pieces of the trap and, at the end, Thalia would have been the one to take Ocella's forever, but My Maker's wife attacked Ocella, and then My Maker's plans were thrown asunder. He had to find other means to protect that which he loved most in this world."

Pam looked like a waif in her pink Capri pants and white tank top as she stood tall in the opulence of the Receiving Room while she told me what felt like ancient history but wasn't. This was anything but.

"For the sake of His Mate, My Maker made a painful choice. It allowed Ocella to believe he was controlling His child's fate when, in fact, Eric planned it. He sent me to spread news to Freyda that Ocella did not approve of his telepathic wife. He did this knowing she desired him. He did this to keep Ocella from His Mate."

"Eric knew he was the only person who could kill her because she would never fight him, not really," My father murmured.

It was true. Not even when he was fighting to kill had I used my mental defense abilities against him, not even when I realized that I wasn't faster or stronger. It had been abhorrent to me to hurt him like that. Ironically, if I had he may have survived. My only reaction was the same dull ache in my chest. Pam nodded in answer to him without really looking his way.

"That was his sole purpose until such a time that he could safely end His Maker. It was working until The Spaniard King threatened the Witch Queen with war. Frightened, Freyda promised to make sane Ocella's boy lover, Alexei, if he aided her. It mattered little; the war was not fought with swords. Soon the Witch Queen was defeated and broken. That was when Eric found his solution. In exchange for mercy, Freyda would end Ocella, freeing my Maker but she failed. Freyda ended the young Tsar. In his fury over the loss, The Roman claimed the head of the Queen. Then there was no refuge left for Ocella, but he chose to take My Maker and His true wife as he embraced the True Death. My Maker foresaw this end, but he was still unable to prevent it."

I knew that. That was why Eric had been so desperate to review the footage when we had spent that afternoon together. I had reviewed the footage, but it had been too little, too late. If I had been strong enough to watch what I presumed was him being unfaithful, I could have saved him. I couldn't. Now he was gone.

_Eric had kissed Freyda and held her. When she calmed he spoke. "I can save you," He had told her. "Free me, and I can save you from Sookie. No harm has been done, our union hasn't been consummated, and could be annulled, if not stricken completely. It will appease the worst of her anger because she does not know how to lose. She never learned." _

_"__What about my state?" she asked, looking and sounding broken. _

_She had been holding onto him as if she would blow away with the next wind if she didn't. I now understood why Eric had offered her that comfort. She hadn't charted the course to get him; he had played her, using her desire to make her no more than a buffer, a pawn. She may have tried to kill me, but the ensuing fight had been so one-sided that it was sad. _

_"__It is lost," He told her. "It is broke and worthless. Even if she left you in peace today, it will take little effort for another regent to crush you tomorrow."_

_Freyda nodded and left. She called one of her remaining guards and asked to be notified once Ocella returned. It had all gone terribly awry after that. When Ocella had arrived, he was with Alexei who was halfway into one of his fits. He attacked Freyda, and she blasted a whole in his chest destroying his heart. She almost had Ocella too, but then he called Eric and the fight was over. He held her frozen with his powers, and then Ocella took her head. _

_"__Your wife has cost me something I love and now I will take what you love." The Roman had said. _

Eric had come to Bishop's house because he knew that was where I would be. He had come to say goodbye because he knew that at the end of that night one of us would be forever gone. Not even a fortune teller could be this precise. Eric seemed to know from the beginning that this, his death or mine, would be the outcome no matter what I did. His plan had depended on my trust, the one thing I refused to give him.

"How did he know?" I asked in an empty voice.

"It was never about you," Pam growled, her eyes narrowed.

The King's guard formed a tight circle around her before the noise of aggression faded in the air. Pam backed down instantly. She sighed long and hard. It was a very human noise… of defeat. I waved the guards away so she could continue her tale.

"It was never about you. Ocella was cruel and sadistic, but, most of all, he was petty. He took what you wanted only because you wanted it and for little other reason. There was nothing for him to take from Eric until you, and he would have stopped at nothing to get it."

I had given the Roman more credit than he was due, and, in doing so, I had caused all of this. It was never about me. I'd been so consumed with the fact that I was the opposition. I had been so sure that it was me that Ocella envied, but, in truth, it was Eric. He never wanted to take Eric from me; he wanted to take me away from Eric. Two very different concepts.

"Where will you go?" I asked Pam.

"Away," she replied. "There is nothing left for me here."

I watched her go. Thinking how horrible it had been for my poor husband. How horrible it would be for me to live for forever without him, and how fortunate I was to be hollow inside. I could function. I would be nothing but a shell with lights and clockwork, but it was my forever and I embraced it.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue.<strong>

One month ago…

My father, Niall, has been furious with me very many times. There had only been once when I had feared that he would take my life. That was when I had turned my twin into a dark Fae to save him from death. It wasn't an easy feat seeing I was Fae and I had turned him into our most hated enemy. I hadn't cared. He had been half of me and I refused to part with him. Of course he was bit insane now. It wasn't a huge difference from the way he was before, so overall I would say it was a success.

Considering I was half-human and not nearly as perfect as my father's eldest son, Dillon, it was even more impressive. I had powers to do things that not even the Prince could comprehend, but what I lacked was a need to please him. I never cared what he thought of me. Till this day I didn't, but I knew that my daughter did.

Like me, gifted with unfound magical ability, Sookie was gifted in mind. She had worked for Niall. She had fought to defend him. It was because of her that the Fae were growing again. You would never know that as she sobbed for her vampire. She looked like an angel being devoured by the fires of Hell.

I knew I had to do something. It may not make her call me Father, like she does the vampire, but if I were to give her something that not even he or my father could, what no else could;, perhaps she might want to know me like I have longed to know her, if but only a little.

I looked down at the rapidly decreasing light of the soul of the vampire called Eric Northman. Then I looked at where my daughter's heart was breaking and her mind didn't seem far behind. I closed my eyes and focused all my powers.

"Time untimed, damage undone, keep what was—"

"What are you doing _now_?" My twin asked.

Unleashing my power always drew him like a magnet, and that was why I often refrained, yet I was never as strong as I could be unless he was near.

"I intend to turn back the hands of time to take away my child's pain," I told him. "It would be as though it never was. I will be there to ensure we do not make the same mistakes."

Dermot cared about three things: me, what I cared about, and hurting people. He would help me. With our combined powers, I could go back far enough that I would have never lost my daughter in the first place.

"I don't think that's a thing, Finny," My brother said.

I let out a breath and tried my best not to shout at him. "You know I can make it a thing!" I snapped. "Just help me!"

"I am not sure I will be of any use," He said, pointing up and slightly to the left. "A part of her soul is leaving her body though she lives."

I looked and saw that I was almost too late! I threw the soul of the vampire at my brother and flashed to grasp that of my daughter. Hastily I pressed them together and grabbed hold of my brother to complete the spell.

"Time untimed, damage undone, keep what was destined, untime that which should have never been."

"I honestly don't think that is a thing," My brother cautioned. "Maybe we shouldn't do this?"

My only response was to grab ahold of his hand so tightly that he had no choice but to repeat this makeshift spell of mine.

"Time untimed," we both chanted. "Damage undone, keep what was destined, untime that which should have never been."

With his help, I felt the souls in our grasps bend to our power.

"Time untimed, damage undone, keep what destined, untime that which should have never been."

I looked down, and that which had been two melded into one. They didn't have to be held together by us. They seemed to be flowing together into one entity, and when that life force was strong enough to hang freely between Dermot and me, it was ready to do its work. It only needed one more incantation, one more injection of our collective power.

"Time untimed, damage undone, keep what was destined, untime that which should never been."

We poured everything we had into the last one, and then watched as what was once a whole and one-part of two different souls fuse eternally into one.

"It worked," I said.

I would get a chance to set to right what had gone so wrong. I would get the daughter who was denied me. No sooner did I have that thought I saw evidence of my failure. The soul shot from between us, first it bonded to the remains of the vampire, flew into the air, and then shot away into the ether, vanishing. The scene didn't change. My child was still screaming uncontrollably.

"See," Dermot muttered. "Definitely was not a thing. Come along then, Fin."

"What happened?" I asked my brother.

I may have the power and imaginings to create any spell, but it was he who understood best.

"I think you turned back time, though not for our daughter or us, just for the vampire," He said.

He pulled on my arm, but I watched the scene, heartsick, while a vampire carried her away. It left me feeling like a failure all over again, the failure my father believed me to be.

"Please don't cry, Finny. You know how it upsets me," Dermot soothed, pulling me into an embrace. "Do not despair, little brother."

We were two halves of a whole that should have never been, but I've never gone a day without needing or missing him. No one knew my suffering like Dermot. When our father abandoned our mother, on the day she had died, and the day we learned we were considered half-valuable because we were half-human, he had been there. I clung to him now and cried much as I had my whole life when the pains of this world bore me no ends. Perhaps I was forever doomed to this hell, to always come so close to what I loved most yet falling short.

"Why should I not?" I asked him. "I will never be what Sookie needs or wants. I have forsaken my only child! She does not know me. She thinks nothing of me. She calls another man, a vampire, her father."

He wiped my tears. "We can give her something that he cannot, something no one else can."

"It didn't work!" I cried. "It's—"

"Not as you intended but we can track the soul; a portion of it belongs to her and because she lives, it cannot pass on. We'll reach it before it finds a random vessel, and then we can control where it takes root and we will ensure that the vampire Eric Northman comes back to her again, be he in living form or dead."

"Can we do that?" I asked feeling my hopes renewed.

My brother deliberated for a moment, and then nodded. "We will return him to her and she will love us for it."

"I want that more than anything," I told him, earnestly.

"Then we must hurry. There is much to do, little brother."

He kept my hand in his. As he teleported, I let my body go lax so I could follow the spiritual trail through the ether. Together we could track the soul that was now Eric Northman and my daughter. Wherever it might be, we would take it to where it belonged.

* * *

><p><strong>The End…<strong>

To my readers, I know this ending was hard. Honestly, it wasn't what I wanted or what I saw coming when I began this story. Until about fifteen chapters or so, I didn't think myself capable of writing a story that didn't end in a Happily Ever After. As the story progressed, this ending became more and more inevitable. This isn't an apology for any backlash that may come. I'm just letting you all know that I'm sad too, and that while this is the end of this story, the journey isn't over. I hope you all join me for the last installment of this saga T'n'T III: At The Edge of Forever, coming soon.


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